Blood in the Sand
by ringbearers-gaurdian
Summary: Where the movie left off. The now 'blind' Sands must come to terms with his old demons, while learning to cope with being blind. But a familar light back in his world may give him what he needs, salvation, and the family he never knew he had. Complete
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I don't own Sheldon Jeffory Sands or any other characters from _Once Upon A Time In Mexico_. They belong to their respected creators. I just let them come and play. ;)

He'd set them up and watched them fall. Now, he was paying the consequences. His fingers curled around dry dirt as he lay in the middle of the street.  
  
Who'd have thought, at this time yesterday, that Agent Sheldon Jeffery Sands would be laying in the middle of a deserted road on the Day of the Dead, blind, with a number of bullet holes riddling his body and causing the numbing pain that quiet possibly could match what his head was feeling.  
  
A low rumbling chuckle escaped his throat dryly, stirring up the dust under his face and he turned his head, in vague involuntary effort to keep the dust out of his eyes. Or now, his empty eye sockets. He lay there for a long time, thinking about it luck. It was always his luck. It would be his luck to get shot and finished off, laying here like some common dog.  
  
In the heat and humidity, the pain began to send him hallucinations, or what he was hoping was hallucinations, more like praying. Because somewhere in the back of his mind, a nasty little voice was talking to him. "You earned it, Sheldon." His fingers clenched around even more dirt. "You earned it!" "Shut up..." He muttered feebly. "And you know WHY you earned it?" The nasty little voice continued. "Shut up.." Sands muttered again. "Because you stood there, why she died!" That nasty little voice nearly screamed and Sands could have sworn it was right there next to his ear.  
  
He actually reached around, to see if there was someone with a nasty little voice standing over him. "You stood there, while she died. Then you just turned your back and walked away." The nasty little voice hissed. "SHUT UP!" Sands screamed. "What if she didn't die, Sheldon?! And you didn't deserve what she offered to begin with!" "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" He repeated the words over and over again, until he ended up laughing, almost hysterically.  
  
It wasn't till he heard the little bell on the bike that his hand shoved up into the air, showing the little boy he was still alive. The boy came to his side, "Senior?" The kid asked softly, leaning over him. "Yeah kid?" Sands asked softly. "Help me up, will ya?" The kid took Sands by the arm and hoisted up. He let the kid lead him somewhere and in no time, he was leaning against a cool stone wall, breathing deeply. "Senior?" The boy asked again as Sands listened to the disappearing footsteps of the FBI agent he'd pulled into the game. "Are you okay?" The boy asked.

Sands would have stared at the kid, if he had any eyes to do so. "Honestly, I don't know..." Sands answered. "You will be Senior... You will be." The little boy said. Sands felt his jaw move slightly as if to protest, but he had no strength left. He sank down the wall, feeling him self pass out. The words of the boy echo in his head. "You will be..." _**Yeah, if only**_, Sands thought and then he slipped into unconsciousness. All the pain fading for the time being. He was only semi conscious as the little boy began pulling somewhere else. As they tumbled through the door of a small house, Sands lost all recall what was happening.  
  
_She came out of the dust towards him, a desert eagle on her hip, her long hair in a pony tail. The sun glinted off of it. Sands looked up from where he was laying against the wall and barely grasped that in real life, it had been the other way around.  
  
He could feel his blood oozing from his chest. Was oozing a good word to describe it. He really didn't have time to think about that. She was kneeling infront of him. Green eyes locked with his chocolate colored. "See what you got yourself into Sheldon." She said with a tilt of her head, the british accent evident. "I didn't mean for it to turn out like this..." Sands replied with a gasp of pain. "Of course you didn't. And I bet you didn't mean to leave me to die in that alley way...'" There was furry behind her eyes. "Cherry, please..." Sands almost begged. He never begged! He never begged to anyone but her....he realized with regret. "Please what Sheldon? What's done is done. You left me to die, and Now you paid the consequences. If you're a good boy, maybe the pain will go away for ever."  
_

_She leaned close to him, and he felt the nuzzle of a gun at his chest again. Her other hand touched his cheek. "I know, I know, it was just business, right?" She asked, pain in her voice. "Cerise..." He looked at her, using her real name, instead of the nickname he'd given her. "It wasn't....I had my orders." Her eyes softened slightly. "And look where it got you, Sheldon... You don't much follow orders any more, do you?" He couldn't answer, it was true, he didn't. He hadn't for a long time, not since, the alley.  
  
"You know, there was only one thing I wanted you to do, while I lay there dying." Cerise said, her fingers brushing down his neck. "And that was hold me." She pulled the trigger. Sands felt the bullet enter his chest and the pain numbing his body. "I would have much preferred it, Sheldon, if it had been you who actually pulled the trigger that day." She said standing up. "But you didn't. You let Montero do it...." She turned her back on him as he felt his life draining. He watched her with his last breaths, walk out of the alley._


	2. Sarah Darcy

Author's Note: this is the third time I've rewritten this scene. I wanted to keep it from being Cliché, but I couldn't get this character worked in here any other way.

Disclaimer: I don't own Sheldon Jeffrey Sands, though I have had my share of naughty thoughts about him, or another characters from Once Upon A Time In Mexico who may appear in this story, they belong to their respected creators, I just let them come and play. ;)

He came to with a sharp sting in his cheek. "Jeffrey, don't do this!" He heard a British voice snap. A woman's voice. He knew that voice well and he struggled to recognize it through the pain in the bullet wounds and the numbness of his head. "S-sarah?" "Yes, Jeff!" The young woman snapped. "Where are we?" Sands tried to grasps her arm, sure he was standing up, but something didn't feel quite right. "You're laying outside the door of some pub, that little boy practically was dragging you around when I found you." Sarah said, leaning closer. "Jeff, let me see your face..." She said slightly absent toned, caught up in the drying blood running down the cheeks of that hauntingly handsome face. Snap out of it! Sarah screamed at her self. Sheldon Jeffrey Sands was a colleague, who she'd worked with on nearly operation since she'd joined the CIA. She was Sands' Information Officer. She gave him at the finger tip information every moment of the day, when and where he needed it. She ran the security passes, she secured the lines, ran the checks, the records, all of that. That was Sarah's job.  
  
So WHAT was Sarah Darcy doing in the middle of Culiacan, outside a bar. Breaking a direct order. She couldn't leave her comrade laying in a street in the middle of Mexico. She couldn't deny that he'd called for backup. No matter what Matinize told her. There was no way in hell she was going to set in that room and wait for an officer to become available. She'd driven nearly 30 miles from HQ at nearly break neck speed to get here. She at least owed it to his Cherry, regardless if he some how knew she was alive or not! When she turned down this street, eyes scanning the road, she was shocked to see Sands leaning on a young boy who was basically pulling the Officer along. Sarah had slammed on the breaks, threw open the door putting the car in park and hurriedly told the boy, she was the man's friend. She managed to convince the boy, just as Sands passed out.  
  
Sands jerked away from her. "Noo.." He hissed in pain. "Come on Jeff, you've got to help me if I'm going help you!" She nearly cried. He was already groping for his gun. Sarah's eyes darted down and she grabbed the gun before he could, tossing it in the street. "If you wont let me see them, you've got to let the white coats take a look." "Like hell.." She could already tell he was on the verge of passing out again. "Little boy," Sarah motioned to the boy that had brought him. "_Ayúdeme con él." _The boy moved forward and with Sarah helping him, they lifted Sands to his feet, a moan of pain escaping the officer's pale lips. Sarah draped his arm around her shoulder and put her arm around his waist. "Come on Officer Sands." She said with a superior tone.

They took careful steps towards the black car and they reached it, Sarah opened the door. They began lowering Sands in, who curled up in the back seat in fetal position. Sarah turned to the boy. She pulled a fifty from her pockets and passed it to the boy. "_Gracias, ahora va a casa." _She directed the boy. The boy backed away slowly, then turned and ran. Sarah sighed and shut the back door, going around as she pulled a cell phone out. She dialed, standing at the driver's door and looking around. "Darcy here, I need medical officers stationed at the door as soon as I arrive. I have Officer Sands and he's in dire need." She hung up with out another word, she'd have to face Matinize's wrath, when they got back, but part of her had to agree it was worth it. Matinize could be a real jerk, but she understood he'd given her the order not to go after Sands, in case something else happened and they lost two officers. But she could not leave her comrade, her FRIEND in dire need.  
  
She got in the car and started the engine, pulling away from the restaurant. Her eyes always on the rearview mirror half checking the roads behind them to see if they were being followed, half to check on Sands who was slowly coming around. She let her mind wonder briefly beside that.

_The five Officers strolled down the hall towards her. Sarah stood there shaking and trembling. She'd just recently joined the CIA you see, and had become an Information's Officer. She was about to meet the team she was put with.  
  
"No, you've been Sheep Dipped." A male voice said, and she looked up to see the officer who was clearly the leader here. He was taller then her, 5'10, 5'11. He was lean with enough muscle to get him what he wanted, and fast looking, which she didn't doubt. His face was the most catching, hauntingly handsome, with high cheekbones and the deepest golden brown she'd ever seen, his hair was dark brown, almost sable. He was dressed in a pair of blue jeans, a western style button down, and of all things, cowboy boots and a cowboy hat.  
  
It made it a bit self conscious of her 5'6 frame, tall, thin, lanky, long dirty brown wavy hair and blue eyes in a round face, behind the silver framed glasses. Sarah looked at the other four. There where two men, the farthest back was taller then the rest, with dark hair, a clean shaven, sharp pointed Asian face, with sweet light blue eyes. He flashed her a charming boyish smile. She hesitated, but smiled a bit herself. The other man the height between the others. Dark reddish brown hair, a handsome mature face, and dark eyes. He was dressed nicely, in a pair of slacks and a dress shirt.  
  
He was standing next to one of the two women. She was tall, 5'7, 5'8, with long legs behind blue jeans that lay low on her hips and hugged her legs. A crop top in black, and shoulder length dark auburn hair. Her face was oval and clear, with a slight tan and dark blue gray eyes. But it was the woman closest to the cowboy that really got Sarah's attention. At first glance, Sarah had thought this was a college student, to young to be an officer. Then Sarah got a closer look. The young woman, maybe in her mid twenties, they were all in their early or mid twenties, stood only 5'3 with a small, petit frame that made her look almost like an 18 year old. She had curves. And long vibrant red hair, her eyes, in a heart shaped face where a deep green with dark lashes. Sarah thought she was very pretty.   
  
Someone snapping their fingers, got her attention and she looked at the 'cowboy' "You with us?" He asked in that unique voice again. She nodded, swallowed and answered. "Yes." "Good, I'm Officer Sheldon Jeffrey Sands. You have the option of calling me Sands, or Jeff." She nodded quickly, taking that information in. "This is Officer Mackenzie Harley, and her basics partner, Rick Dupre." The man and woman standing next to each other nodded. "And this is Sammy Iokie." The tallest man nodded and gave her another smile. "Officer Iokie," He corrected Sands. "Yeah yeah.." Sands gestured it off. Sarah turned to the other woman, but when Sands didn't open his mouth to introduce her, Sarah started to say something. But the woman cut her off. "Officer Cerise Stone, Sands' unofficial partner." "In so many other words and meanings..." Sands said, grinning suddenly. Cerise shot him a look. "You're British...too?" Sarah asked. Cerise nodded and smiled. "Born and Raised in London, moved here when I was 16. Never lost the accent." Sarah felt a little more at ease. "Just remember, kid," Sands suddenly said, draping an arm around her shoulders. "As long as your working with me or this team, remember the silent commandment." Sarah frowned. "Thou shalt not covet?" She muttered. Sands frowned deeply, eyeing her. He rolled his eyes suddenly and let go of her, walking away. She was joined a second later by Cerise, finding the other three had wondered off on their own. "All right luv, this is difficult to explain, so listen close. Sheldon's talking about the CIA's ten commandments," Sarah nodded, she knew these. "But he doesn't mean the last one in particular. He means number eleven you might say, the SILENT commandment." "Eleven?" Sarah asked, confused. "Thou Shall Not Get Caught.'" Cerise said softly. "We live by that one more then others, got it luv?" Sarah nodded. "Got it."  
  
_So this was how Sarah had first become part of Sands team. She sighed, looking at the road. She'd left the city area and was driving towards HQ now. In the back seat, Sands was coming to.

"Sarah.."

"What Jeff?"

"Where's Cherry?"  
Sarah swallowed. "Dead Jeff." He wasn't to know the truth. He wasn't to know Cerise Stone was still alive. He wasn't to know that at that moment, right now, Cerise was only in Mexico city on a solo operation, or that back in Washington DC, a three year old girl with his eyes, was playing at her baby sitter's house as they spoke. He wasn't to know, because the Company feared it would drive him madder.

I feel the need to explain this. Sheep Dipped is/was the Officers of the CIA's term for having their job changed or transferred.

Translations for Spanish  
  
Ayúdeme con él---- Help me with him

Gracias, ahora va a casa----Thanks now go home

Other languages used later: French, Russian, Italian and my favorite language (which I'm studying) Latin.

Authors Note:  
Thanks to Scarlett and Dawnie for those first reviews :) It got me in a good mood to write TWO chapters. ;)


	3. His Cherry

Author's Note: I kind of think of Sands' 'team' as something like Mission Impossible. More then one officer who worked together on an operation. And I promise to stop with the dreams and flash backs. ;)

Thanks to Scarlett for beta reading this! Means a lot.

Disclaimer: I don't own Sheldon Jeffrey Sands or another characters from _Once Upon A Time In Mexico_, they belong to their respected creators, I just let them come play. ;)

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 3**

_She lay there, propped up against the hot stone wall, feeling her life fleeing her body. She'd watched Monterio march Sands out of the alley, with Sands not so much as lifting a finger to fight back. Maybe he was in shock, who knew. All Cerise knew, was he'd walked out of that alleyway and left her to die. Left her with his unborn child, dying slowly inside of her. She slid further down the wall, and sank onto the ground, arms wrapped around her midsection, where the bullet had struck, ironically, right under her left breast. _

_It had happened all at once. Sands and Monterio had been arguing over the lack of information and the immature judgment that was going into this operation, when Monterio turned on her with a 22., shooting her at near point-blank range. She heard Sands shout, 'No!', as she stumbled, falling against the wall. Helplessly, she looked on, watching as Monterio targeted Sands - her partner, her lover - stopped him in his tracks, eyes darting from the gun to her. She lay there, listening to the loud footsteps echoing through the alleyway as they walked away.  
  
_Cerise jerked awake with a start. She moved the arm draping over her eyes and groaned, rolling over on the mattress. She'd only laid there a few moments, but before she knew it, she was fast asleep. Cerise sat up, sitting there for a long moment, until she'd gathered her strength. Getting up, she moved around the expensive hotel room. She walked over to the TV and turned it on, tuning into a newscast, streaming live. She watched it as she picked up her gun and began checking the 9. mm's clip.

* * *

Within twenty minutes, Sarah Darcy was pulling up through the gates of the air force base that served as HQ. The white coats were already there, pulling the back door open and lifting Sands out. Sarah sat there, immobile, for a long time, watching them wheel the gurney inside. When she finally decided to leave the car she was met by Sand's authoritative officer on the operation. NOT that he followed orders much.

"What the fuck happened?! I told you not to fucking go out there, Darcy. You're not a field officer!" Matinieze shouted.

Sarah shrugged. "I wasn't going to abandon Officer Sands when he'd called saying he was being shadowed, and that his operation was in danger. As you pointed out, Sir, we had no open officers to go and back him up, so I did. He was in that..." she nodded towards the gurney, when I found him."

Matinieze swore, and gave Sarah a piercing look. "This will go on record and you'll have to deal with consequences, Darcy!" With that, the older man turned on his heel, strolling into the building. Sarah followed, silently.  
  
But she didn't follow Matinieze to his office to wait on news of Sands' condition, the fallen officer had long since passed out again, and Sarah was nervous nervous about his chances of survival, but she owed it to his Cherry, to get the news across. She headed straight to the Operations Information room and cleared out the rookies, then opened a direct line to Cerise Stone's cell phone.

* * *

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­In a hotel in Mexico City, as Cerise Stone watched the newscast unfold, her cell phone rang. There were two possibilities. It was HQ telling her to pull out, or it was her agent. She answered. "Yeah?" she asked in her musical, British accented voice.

"Darcy here," came the reply.

"What's up, Sarah?" Sarah Darcy never called her, she called Sarah, so there had to be something going down.

"Remember the Barillo Cartel infiltration?"

"How could I forget, the aftereffects are on the news as we speak," Cerise answered.

"Remember the Officer in charge?"

"Sheldon Jeffrey Sands....." Cerise answered softly, almost painfully, dreading creeping in.

"He's in trouble...he...got caught. The white coats are with him now, and it looks bad...."

Cerise was motionless and silent for a moment, then suddenly shouted, "FUCK! I've got to clear out! This line isn't safe." She hung up with that, everything dawning on her at once. Her agent wouldn't be contacting her. Chances were, her agent was dead. Cerise had been working a intricately woven operation, in sync with Officer Sands' operation... her results greatly depended on his results. Although, Sands had no idea that this was the case.

If Officer Sands had gotten caught, it was only a matter of time before the same happened to her. She grabbed her holster and headed for the door. The moment she opened it, she was met with a shower of bullets. Slamming the door, she side stepped out of the line of fire and watched the holes riddle the old wood of the door.

She looked around the third story room before sprinting to the window. Another round of bullets assailed the door. and Cerise threw the window open, looking out. Somewhere, she heard a mariachi band playing. It was, The Day of the Dead.

Cerise swore. This was to be her last operation. After this, she was going back to D.C to become an team analyst, so she could raise her daughter... their daughter. "Oh you better live, Shelly," she growled, "So I can ring your neck for all of this!"  
  
She slipped out the window, the band playing an intense rhythm backdrop to her escape. She shimmied sideways on the ledge, grabbing the lip of the decorational outcropping that covered the outside of the building. Hand over hand in the hot sun, she pulled herself towards the drain pipe. As she grabbed it, she heard the door to her room forced open, and voices enter the room. A moment later, a head poked out the window and scoured the area before spotting her. He began shouting in Spanish, "She's escaping, she's escaping!"

So much for staying on the Delgado Cartel's good side. A gunman appeared, and as Cerise slid down slowly (it seem slow to her at the time) she pulled a pistol and opened fire. She took a shoulder hit, but this caused the gunman's aim to be off, and he shattered the braces holding the drain pipe.  
  
It tumbled backwards,and Cerise went with it.. "FUCK!" she shrieked, as the pipe came loose from the building. She hit the ground in relative safety, ducked another wave of bullets as she took off sprinting. She ran towards the center of the city, intending to disappear into the Day of the Dead celebration. At the same time, she pulled her cell phone out and called HQ. Matinize answered. "I'm being shadowed, repeat, shadowed. With intent to kill!" Cerise screamed into the phone over the noise of the fireworks. "NEED BACK UP!" She heard the line fade away, and threw the phone in anger.  
  
She blended into a mass of women, watching every possible exit and entrance of the city's center. The minutes ticked by. There were two other officers in her area. Mac Harly and Rick Dupre. Both Officers she trusted with her life. Both officers on cartel operations. So the only problem now, were either alive?  
  
She got her answer when she spotted Mackenzie Harly in the crowd. Mac had to be Cerise's best friend. They attended the Farm together. Mac's eyes scanned the crowd, but it wasn't hard for her to find the British red head. The two women began weaving their way towards each other, pushing through the crowd. They were half way to each other when a massive amount of fire works went off. Cerise gave herself away by ducking and backing into a wall. She didn't move until Mac reached her, adrenaline pumping in her veins, her heart beating uncontrollably.

"What the fuck is going on?!" Mac hissed in Cerise's ear when she'd reached her.

"I've been burned." Cerise replied, lips close to her friend's ear. Mac turned her head to look at her, wide-eyed. "It gets better, I'm not the only Officer." Cerise continued.

"Who else?"

"Officer Sands..."


	4. Revelations

Authors Note: The plot thickens.  
  
Thanks to the kind reviews, really helping.  
  
And thanks very much to Scarlett for Beta Reading this.

Disclaimer: I do not own Sheldon Jeffrey Sands, or anyone else in _ Once Upon A Time In Mexico_. They belong to their respected creators, I just let them come and play. ;)

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 4**

Sarah paced the hall, running a hand over her cheeks to wipe the tears from her eyes. She was not only worried about Sands, but Cerise as well. The thing that worried her the most though, was one, simple fact. Something had gone very wrong, and she feared that it wouldn't end there.

Someone was playing a game. Maybe Sarah herself was a pawn of that chess game, maybe not. The next round of action was going to have to be well thought out. Lives depended on it... Sands' life, Cerise's life, and possibly the rest of the team's as well.

She turned when she heard the electric hiss of the main doors opening behind her. Mac and Cerise were storming in. Cerise's small frame was furious from head to foot. She absolutely shook when she stopped in front of Sarah.

"Where is he?" Cerise questioned in a low voice.

"They're preparing to move him to OMS."

Cerise nodded. "And Matinize?"

Sarah shrugged. Cerise grabbed Sarah's arm and pulled her outside into the warm, late afternoon air, Mac trailing behind them. The sun was just preparing to set, causing the red in Cerise's hair to appear dark crimson - the color of blood. Sarah shuddered. The color reminded her of the blood that had been running down Sands' cheeks when she'd found him.

When they were a safe distance, free from prying eyes and ears, Cerise spoke. "We're in big fucking trouble here."

"I don't get it..." Mac said, shaking her head. "Who would want to burn you, Cerise? You've been more than valuable... I mean, you're retiring after this!"

"Maxell!" Cerise answered with her former boss' name, without hesitation. Maxell had been the one who hired Monterio to kill Cerise, when Cerise had gotten too close to knowing that the woman was double-crossing her own country.

"She's terminated."

"Yeah, and Sands and I paid the fucking consequences!" Cerise replied, upset, and hugging herself tightly. "Look, I know it can't be Maxell. But someone.... it makes no fucking sense that Sands and I were both compromised. It made even less sense that our operations kept intertangling, yet neither one of us ever saw the other."

"Sands was not privy to your existence. Not after..." Sarah didn't finish. She didn't have to. They all knew. When Sands had assumed his partner, and more than that, his lover, had been murdered, he'd snapped. He'd suffered a mental breakdown, and it had landed him in OMS for nearly five months.

Cerise had been reinstated after the entire mishap, and Maxell's treason was uncovered. Rick had planted a bullet in Maxell's head, on the orders of HIGHER authorities. Cerise was just pissed it hadn't been her, or Sands, who'd had the pleasure of doing the deed. So now, WHO had compromised her and her former partner?

"There's another matter...." Sarah said softly. "The Spooks...they...Sands..." She stammered, struggling to continue, as tears sprung to her eyes.

"What?" Cerise asked.

"The cartel...it had to be them...they...they fucking tortured Sands when they caught him...."

Mac shuddered. She'd never been tortured, and she couldn't imagine what that would be like. Cerise on the other hand, had been, at the hands of Maxell's partner, for three days. She could imagine. Cerise looked at Sarah, waiting silently, but her stomach was already twisting in a knot. "They took his eyes...." Sarah whispered.

They all stood there, stone still, the sound of an approaching helicopter breaking the silence of the evening. It was the chopper that would take Sands to Virginia. Cerise almost didn't want to believe it, but she knew better. She knew what the cartel was capable of.

"Will you be visiting him?" Mac asked.

"You bet your bippy." Cerise used Sands' words exactly the way he'd said them, even adding that sarcastic little grin.

* * *

Sarah and Mac had left Cerise alone, to file her report. She twisted the pen in her fingers as she sat in the small room, alone. Now that no one else was around, she had time to let it all sink in. She'd been fine before, her mind distracted with her work... up until she remembered what Sarah had told her.

'_They took his eyes_'

Cerise dropped the pen and shuddered... cartels were ruthless when it came to torture, but never had Cerise heard of the cartel blinding someone, or as Sarah explained later, actually removing the victim's eyes.  
  
Something settled in the pit of her stomach, and before Cerise knew it, she was leaning over in her chair, vomiting into the trashcan near the desk.

'_Oh god...' _she thought, wrapping her arms around her stomach. Never again would she see those golden-brown eyes looking at her. She'd never lose herself in them again. She couldn't even begin to comprehend how Sands must be feeling right now. Her stomach turned again, in a dry heave, she had nothing left to give.

She wiped her mouth off with the back of her hand and slipped off the chair, sinking onto the floor, away from the desk and waste basket, silent tears falling down her cheeks. "Oh Shelly..." she whispered sadly. So much had worked against him, and now this. "I'm so sorry, Sheldon..." she cried softly. God only knew, she was still in love with him. She sat there for a long time, thinking about the past, about the team's operations, about the semi-solo operations she and Sands had performed together.

That had been her whole life, HIS whole life for nearly ten years...

* * *

Sands came to with a sharp breath, and a yell of pain. As his lips closed, he frantically felt around him, finding himself on a bed. His wounds were bandaged. He reached up with his good hand and found a thick white gauze around his eyes. Then a sound caught his ears, someone was in the room with him.

"Jeff?"

It was Sarah. He heard her move tentatively towards the bed.

"S-s-sarah...where am I?" He felt Sarah slip her hand over his, and for a split second he wanted to jerk it away, but Sarah had always meant well, and to be truthful, he liked her too. Maybe even thought of her as a younger sister.

"You're in OMS, back in the states." Sands groaned and sank down deeper in the bed.

"Did you HAVE to bring me back here?" he muttered.

"Well, I didn't bring you," Sarah replied sarcastically. "The Company did."

"Just as bad.." Sands grumbled. He reached up and touched the bandages around his eyes.  
  
"Do you remember what happened?" Sarah asked softly. She watched Sands drop her hand without hesitation, and heard the irritation in his voice.

"How the fuck do you forget something like that?!" he snapped. Sarah slowly let go of his other hand.

"I'm sorry, Jeff, but you've been in and out of it for nearly two weeks."

"And you've been here all that time?" Sands asked, cocking his head to the side, strangely amused.

"Mostly, yeah. Mac and Sammy relieved me when I needed a break," she said, but she wasn't being all that honest. Cerise had spent the first week beside Sands' bed, sometimes with Lily asleep on her lap.

"Well, nice to know SOMEONE cares." Sands replied sarcastically. Sarah retorted by pinching him hard in the shoulder.

"OW!" He gave her an angry 'look', but Sarah could see past the scowl. There was bit up an upturn betraying that frown. She flopped back down in the chair. Sands broke the silence after a moment. "So...how bad is it...?"

Sarah swallowed. "Well, um...they removed the bullets. Not too much damage there.."

"I wasn't talking about that.." Sands bit back.

"It's irreversible..."

"No shit, Sherlock!" Sands snapped angrily. Sarah cringed slightly. She watched him as he lay on the bed, breathing hard.

"I'm tired," he stated finally, half rolling onto his side, his back to her. "I'm going back to sleep."

Sarah sighed and stood up. "Jeff..."

"What?" he asked, his voice solemn.

"Everything's going to be alright," she said quietly.

Sands flopped back over, so he was facing her, and he sat up once more.

"Alright?! ALRIGHT?! I'VE LOST MY GOD DAMNED EYES!" He shouted. Sarah swallowed, trying not to tremble. When she didn't reply, Sands fought to slow his breathing.

He'd been ready for an argument, almost craving it. But damn, he was so tired. "Just go, Sarah. Go home, get some rest, go get some coffee, go do SOMETHING, but leave this fucking room. I just wanna be alone for a little while," He said finally. He heard her sigh and move away from the bed.

"Jeff," she said, halfway to the door.

"What?" Sands asked, turning his head towards her, a bored look on his face.

"Listen Jeff...if...if someone should come to visit...that you're really not expecting..." He heard her sniffle. "Just try to understand... it was for your own good.."

Sands raised an eyebrow. "What the fuck are you talking about?"

"I can't... I can't be the one to explain it. Just trust me, Jeff."

"Don't I always?" he said, somewhat sarcastically, folding his arms over his chest.

"Yes Jeff, you do. I'll be back later." She said softly, opening the door.

Sands listened to her leave, and laid back down with a deep sigh, and a confused mind. He just wanted to go back to sleep. He began filing away everything she said for later processing, and slowly drifted back to sleep, his tired muscles getting a much needed rest.


	5. Lingering

Author's Note: Ah memories... I have to be fair and warn you now...the story will slowly get darker from here.  
  
Thanks to Scarlett for beta reading this for me, helps a bunch hun!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Sheldon Jeffrey Sands or any other character from Once Upon A Time In Mexico, they belong to their respected creators. I just let them come and play. ;)

* * *

Sarah had been returned later that night, but Sands had, politely as he could manage through his irritation, asked her to go home. He'd told her that he would be fine by himself, and so she'd left, reluctantly, to leave Sands to his own devices.

He'd driven nearly ever nurse from his room. Only one older woman would even dare to come in, allowing his comments to go in one ear and out the other. He fought hard to regain his strength, pushing himself to his limits in physical therapy. He constantly ignored the comments that he was moving too fast, and it was only when he was completely alone that he let it show. Not only was he physically exhausted, but emotionally he was near his breaking point as well.  
  
He was slowly getting used to the fact that his other sense were taking over, but so much fucking loud noise in OMS was giving him a constant headache. When Sarah did come back, the physical therapist had agreed that Sands could leave his room, IF he took it slow.

Of course, Sands didn't do any such thing.

By that afternoon, Sarah had followed a fumbling Sands down to the cafeteria. "She'd learned to keep her mouth shut and hands to herself whenever Sands stumbled into anything.

"Get me some coffee, will ya?" He grumbled, as he grabbed a chair near the door.

"Right, Jeff."

He heard Sarah leave her purse on the tabletop, and head to the cafeteria line. Knowing she would be stuck in line for at least a couple minutes, Sands reached across the table and grabbed her purse, pulling it towards him. He unzipped it with ease and stuck his hand in, rooting around. His fingers closed around something small and metallic.

Pulling it out, he fingered the object, frowning deeply. It was a small lighter.

He flipped open the lid as he had thousands of times before, checking it's condition. This wasn't Sarah's lighter. It never had been, not with the engraved heart and initials underneath the lid. He traced the S and C with his finger. No, this lighter belonged to Cerise Stone.

He knew, because he'd given it to her.  
  
_Vrai Amour  
  
_Sands hid the lighter under his thigh before continuing to going through Sarah's bag, but came up with nothing more of interest. She had a .22, Sands considered snatching it as well, but thought better of it. He heard Sarah's voice reach the end of the line and quickly zipped up the bag, shoving it back to it's original spot.

He sat there, hands folded on the tabletop, white bandages just barely visible behind his black sunglasses. When Sarah returned with coffee in hand, he plastered on an all too sickly sweet smile. As he expected, she didn't notice that her purse sat a tad off from its original spot.

"How do you feel?" She asked, sitting down.  
  
"You're not privy to that information," Sands said simply, cocking his head slightly to the side, as if gazing at her.  
  
"Ass."  
  
"Cheeky." He heard her laugh softly and couldn't help but grin behind his coffee cup.  
  
Sarah looked around, noticing that they were the only ones sitting in the cafeteria at the moment, so she figured they may as well be frank with each other. "Jeff..."

"You didn't put enough sugar in it. You know, Sarah, two sugars, one creamer."  
  
"Jeffrey."  
  
"Which way to the coffeepot, Sarah, I'll get the sugar myself."  
  
Sarah sighed, frustrated, before violently tossing two packets of sugar across the table. She HATED it when he avoided the subject.

"Thank you." Sands said in one of those 'was-that-so-hard?' tones. He tore the packages open with his teeth, one hand staying on the coffee cup as he lowered the other hand, dumping the sugar in. Part of one package missed the cup and tumbled over his fingers causing him to grimace slightly, but otherwise he showed little emotion.

"Jeff, please... tell me how you're doing?" Sarah begged softly.  
  
Sands sighed with an elaborately, continuing to face her. He dropped both hands to the table, contemplating his answer for a long time. "I'm peachy keen, darlin'. Got a cigarette?"

Sarah rolled her eyes. "If I give you a cigarette, will you be honest?"  
  
"Is that what you want, Sarah? Cause by all means, if that's all it takes to get a bloody cigarette, then let's then let's seal the deal"  
  
Sarah grabbed her purse, which brought a grin to Sands' lips. "You're starting to talk like Cerise."  
  
Sands raised an eyebrow, but the grin never left his lips. "Indeed."  
  
Sarah pulled a cigarette from her pack and handed it to him from across the table. He took it and set it between his lips. He wasn't going to pull out the lighter until she said something. "Hmm, I guess I left the lighter at home. I've got some matches though." She started to take one out of the book to light it for him, but he snatched the book away from her, stopping her offer for a light.

"I'm not THAT helpless," he snapped.

"I was just trying..."

"Don't fucking help me! I've told you that already!" One finger on the end of the cigarette, he awkwardly lit the match and moved his finger, slowly bringing the match to the end of the cigarette. Inhaling, he shook out the match and dropped it onto the table.  
  
"Now for your end of the bargain," Sarah reminded him softly.

Sands took a deep drag of the cigarette and sighed. "I feel like shit, alright?" He said simply, picking up his coffee cup. He heard her sigh.

"I wish you wouldn't shove people away, Jeff."

"Darlin', if I was shoving people away, as you put it, you wouldn't be sitting there at all."  
  
Sarah knew he was partly right, and changed the subject. "Remember those early morning coffee meetings of ours? Two... three in the morning, when you couldn't sleep..." she uttered softly.

Sands took another drag and contemplated those thoughts. He grinned slightly. "I don't think I've actually forgotten Sarah, as the last time we did that was...." He stopped, it had been the morning he'd lost his eyes.

Sarah swallowed. "I'm sorry Jeff, I shouldn't have..."

Sands shook his head, plastering another fake smile on his lips. "No worries. We'll just have to revive our little meetings," he said.

Sarah watched him closely, while leaning over the table. "Jeff, just listen to me for a second. I'm not going to claim to know what you're going through right now....but you're still my friend....so I'll always been on your side..." She said softly, touching his free hand.  
  
Slowly he brought the cigarette to his lips and inhaled deeply. His head was cocked slightly to the side as if he were gazing at her. Sarah sat back slightly. If it wasn't for the bandages wrapped around his eyes, she would have sworn he was doing what he had always done best... reading her manors.

"Are you sure that's whose side you want to be on?" he asked in a soft voice, exhaling slowly.

Sarah didn't hesitate. "Yes Jeff, I'm sure."

He gave a brief, amused smile. "The more the merrier then." His fingers felt around for the ashtray, and after location it, snubbed out his cigarette. Dropping his hand to his thigh, he pulled the lighter out from under it and hid it away in his pocket. "I'm tired Sarah, let's go back to my room."

"All right Jeff." Sarah cleaned off the table and stood, waiting for him. She could already see the trek to the cafeteria had tired him out. "Jeff, I wish you wouldn't push the physical therapy, you've only been up and about for a little less then a week."

"I'm fine!" he snapped, getting to his feet.

Despite his claim, they took it slower on their way back to the elevator. Sarah couldn't deny that he was leaning against the back mirror in pain. "I told you."

"I don't wanna fucking hear it, Sarah!" He growled as the elevator stopped. He reached out and shoved her forward as the doors opened. But he himself never made it more then three steps. As the elevator doors closed, Sands crumpled to the floor, sinking into darkness as he passed out. Sarah had just turned back to him, ready to give him a piece of her mind, but when she saw Sands' still form on the ground, she began screaming for one of the nurses, as she crouched beside him.

* * *

Cerise left for the hospital as soon as Sarah called her, arriving as soon as was humanly possible. In her rush to get to OMS, she still held a plush Tigger that she'd intended to leave with Lily's babysitter as she entered Sands' room. "What happened?!" She asked anxiously, as Sarah stood up from the chair.

They had Sands back on oxygen, and a heart monitor. "He was pushing physical therapy too hard..." Sarah said softly, looking down at Sands, who looked much paler than normal and was breathing hard in his sleep, despite the help he was receiving. "He passed out from the pain, I guess. We'd just been down to the cafeteria..."

Cerise had the sudden desire to smack Sands with the plush toy, but instead, just squeezed the neck of the tiger more.  
  
She moved over towards the window and sat down on the small ledge. Sarah moved over to her, and sat down, facing her. "What did you do with Lily?" She asked the young mother.

"She's at Mac's. It was a last minute thing. I didn't have a chance to call her regular babysitter."

"You could have brought her." Sarah said softly.

"I could have, but I didn't want her to see her daddy like this...not yet anyway."

Sarah nodded, looking out the window for a long moment. Cerise leaned against the corner of the window, clutching the plush toy to her as she looked at Sands. "I wish he wouldn't do this to himself." She said softly.

"Ce, Maybe you should let him know...maybe now's the time for him to know you're still alive. I think... I think he needs you now, more than ever."

Cerise sighed. "The CIA would kill me..."

"When aren't they trying to kill you? But Cerise, you know as well as the rest of us do, you don't follow orders, you haven't since...."

"Since the alleyway, I know."  
  
What woke Sands was the rush of air through his nose and he slowly came to realize that he had an oxygen tube. He felt too sore and too tired to move, and started to open his mouth to ask Sarah for some water, but shut it when he realized that there was another voice in the room.

"The CIA would kill me..." He felt every muscle in his body tense as he continued to listen. "I'll tell him..."

"When, Cerise?! You can't keep doing this to Jeff."

"Sarah, did you ever think that MAYBE he doesn't want me to be alive?"

"What do you mean, Cerise?" Sarah wrinkled her nose, in the same manor Cerise did when confused.

"I mean, maybe he's happier thinking I'm dead. Maybe....." Cerise swallowed. "Maybe he's not in love with me, as I am with him."  
  
"Oh that's a load of cockerel, and you know it! I mean, blimey, Ce! He still wears your cross, and as we all bloody well know, Sheldon Jeffrey Sands has never had any use for God!"  
  
Cerise smiled slightly. "You're accent is slippin' Sarah." She sighed. "He's still wearing my cross?" She questioned softly.

Sarah nodded. "I saw it one day... while one of the nurses was giving him a sponge bath."

Cerise snorted in laughter, trying to contain an outburst. "Sarah!"

Sarah grinned sheepishly.

* * *

Sands felt as if the small silver cross was burning his chest. He'd never believed in God, his mother had torn that belief from him shatteringly as a child. But Cerise had given the small cross to him the morning Monterio had shot her, and so he wore it in her memory.

_She'd been lying on the bed again, a bout of morning sickness was to blame. Sands had just finished buttoning his shirt. He moved back over to the bed, and sat down behind her, leaning over. His hand ran over the slight swell of her belly, and he kissed her neck. "We're going to have to move soon, sweets," he told her. _

_She groaned. "I know, I know..." She muttered. Sands kissed her again and sat up.  
  
"Shelly.." Cerise turned over slightly to look up at him. _

"_What?" _

"_I've got a bad feeling about today..." She confided to him quietly. _

"_Yeah?" He asked, and leaned over again, kissing her on the lips. "Don't worry about it sugar lips." _

_She moved against him. "Well I do, and I am." He gave her a look. "I can't help it, Sheldon, I'm carrying your baby. I'm a mother to be, I'm going to worry!"_

"_You know how cute you are when you worry?" He asked with a crooked grin. She tried not to grin herself, but it was impossible, when his eyes twinkled mischievously like that.  
  
He wrapped both arms around her, drawing her to him and leaning against the headboard, so that she was sitting on his lap. "Do something for me, Shelly?" _

"_What Cherry?" He watched her unhook the slender silver chain from around her neck and pull the small silver cross from inside her shirt. She leaned forward, and slipped the chain around his neck. He was about to protest, when she raised those dark green eyes to look at him. _

"_Don't take it off. I know you don't believe in God...but don't take it off...for me." _

_He opened his mouth to retort, but saw the pleading in her eyes. "All right, Cherry," He agreed softly, kissing her on the forehead. _

"_I love you, Sheldon," She said in a hushed tone. He lifted her chin up and kissed her on the lips. "Love you too, Cerise." _

She wasn't here... no, she couldn't be here, now. It wasn't possible, he saw her die. He couldn't chance letting himself believe she was alive. He couldn't lose her twice, and he cursed the fact that his mind must have been playing cruel tricks on him.

But... he could swear that it was her voice he heard, clear as day, as he lay there, talking to Sarah as if she'd never left.  
  
"Alright, Sarah. I can't stay much longer, I'd like to, but... I've got debrief duty tomorrow."

"Fun..." Sarah muttered, knowing that right now, the Company was shifting debrief duty around because of the current lack of officers in the department. Cerise nodded and stood.

"Call me though, if anything more does happen."

"Of course I will." Sarah gave Cerise a quick hug and watched as Cerise opened the door. Sarah moved back to her chair, picking up her book, when they both heard him speak.

"Love you too..." He whispered, voice harsh and raspy while he shifted restlessly in his bed.

Sarah gasped in surprise and looked at Cerise. Cerise stood motionless for a long moment, watching Sands body relax as he drifted back into a deep sleep. She shook her head and nodded a goodbye to Sarah, before leaving.

* * *

Authors Note: Thanks to the wonderful reviews, Dawnie-7  
  
Translations-  
_Vrai Amour- _True Love


	6. Hidden Truths, Obvious Lies

Author's Note: Thanks to the Fantastic Reviews from everyone. WOW you guys are keeping me going! Thank you!

Thanks so much to Scarlett for beta reading this. Wouldn't have made it this far without you girl!

Disclaimer: I don't own Sheldon Jeffory Sands or any other character from _Once Upon A Time In Mexico_. They belong to their respected creators. I just let them come and play. ;)

* * *

Chapter Six

She balanced the sleeping three year old on her right hip as she slipped the key into the lock and turned the knob. In the outside world, beyond the hallway, it was pouring. Inside, all was quiet and by the look of things, also a complete mess. Cerise shook her head. She'd never been the neatest person.

As she pulled the key from the lock and nudged the door closed, she flipped on the foyer light and looked around the living room. The furniture arrangement hadn't changed from the last time she was here. She wasn't entirely sure WHY she hadn't just gone back to her own apartment after picking Lily up from Mac's. Instead, she'd made the trip, out of the way, to stop and visit Sands' apartment.  
  
Cerise carried Lily through the living room and the hallway, back towards the master bedroom as the sound of thunder rumbled overhead. She didn't bother with the lamp on the bedside table, as she sat down on the queen size bed, pulling back the black comforter. She inhaled, capturing the scent of him still in the room and, to her at least, it was comforting.

She laid Lily down in the middle of the bed and smoothed back her daughter's dark brown hair, before leaning down and kissing her on the forehead. Tucking the blanket around Lily, Cerise glanced about the bedroom. Everything was the way she remember it. In the corner, near the French doors which led to the balcony, sat an old, worn Spanish guitar.

While she allowed her mind to wander, her fingers slipped under Sands' pillow and found his 9 mm. She smiled lightly and pulled the firearm out, automatically checking the clip in reflex.  
  
She placed the gun on the nightstand, along with her cell phone, before getting up and moving back through the apartment. She took care to locked every door and window. Particularly the deadbolt, because it couldn't be unlocked from the outside. She also latched the security chain. Better safe than sorry. She shut off the foyer light and headed back to the bedroom. Shimmying out of her jeans, she slipped into the bed next to Lily and lay there a long moment before shutting her eyes.  
  
She hadn't even had a chance to shut her eyes when her cell phone rang. Cerise groaned and let it ring a few times before rolling out of bed and grabbing it. She sat up on the edge of the bed and answered. "What?"  
  
"We've got major problems..." It was Rick.  
  
"What problems?" Cerise asked, yawning.  
  
"Matinieze is dead."  
  
Cerise was instantly awake. "How?! WHEN?!"  
  
"About two hours ago. Car bomb," Rick answered simply.  
  
"Fuck! Fuck, Fuck, FUCK!" Cerise yelled in anger. Matinieze was one of the last connections the team had to prove Sands didn't go rouge against the Agency. "He was supposed to be coming back to the States, what happened?!" Cerise demanded.

"He was... he was on his way to the airport." Rick said flatly.

"Do you have any idea what this means, Rick?!" Cerise asked anxiously.

"Yeah...we're all going to be investigated now, for our connection with Sands... the bastard."

Rick and Sands had never really gotten along, Cerise understood that, but a sharp fury was starting to build in her, and if she heard Rick speak of Sands like that one more time she was sure she was going to burst. "Lay off, Rick."

"Yeah, yeah. Look, you tell Sarah. I've got to go give my report. The entire HQ here in Mexico knows." Rick hung up with that.  
  
"Fuck!" Cerise snapped again. The whimper from the bed caught her attention, and when she glanced down, she found Lily looking up at her. "It's all right lambkin," Cerise reassured softly, stroking the child's hair. Lily yawned and curled up around the teddy bear she was holding. Cerise watched her for a minute, then got up, moving to the French doors and slipping onto the balcony with her cell phone in hand.  
  
After dialing Sarah's number, Cerise let the line continue to ring on the other end, knowing Sarah had to go downstairs to answer her phone. A few rings later, Sarah's sleepy voice came over the line. "I won't be going to debrief duty in the morning," Cerise informed her softly, leaning on the wrought iron railing.

"Why, what's wrong?!" Sarah asked from her end.

"Matinieze is dead... car bomb, on the way to the airport." She heard Sarah gasp. "Sarah, how hard is it for someone to get a hold of a 201 File?"

"You can only do that if you have the proper clearance... why?"

"Alright...and Matinieze would have had the proper clearance to get a hold of Sands' 201, wouldn't he?"

"Of course, Matinieze was Sands' superior officer... what are you getting at, Cerise?"

"Sarah, how hard would it be for YOU to get a hold of a 201 file?"

Sarah sat in her dark smoking area for a long moment, silent, before answering.

"I could pull a few strings...why?"

"Could you copy it?"

"If I had the microfilm..."

"And if I got you the microfilm?"

Sarah was slowly catching on. "Then it would be pie."

"Right... right. I'll have the microfilm for you today."

She hung up with Sarah, drummed her fingers on the railing a moment, then dialed a second number. It wasn't the first time she'd had to turn to this person, and Cerise had the feeling it wouldn't be the last. The woman had always said, whenever Cerise needed her, to just call.

"Sorry to wake you Ruth, but I was wondering if I could bring Lily over for a little while. I've got some... business for the Company, and well, I just don't want to leave her with a babysitter."

"No problem at all, I'm always eager to see my great grandbaby."  
  
Cerise smiled a little, looking down at the pool. She'd hate to imagine what Sands would do if he found out Cerise was in contact with his grandmother. "Thanks Ruth. We'll be there soon."

* * *

Sarah paced the smoking area as the storm petered down to a damp drizzle. Finishing off her cigarette she turned to see Cerise coming out with a small black bag. "I don't do action well, Cerise!" Sarah said, trying not to sound desperate.

"It's simple, Sarah." Cerise said softly, dropping the black bag on the patio table next to her. She unzipped it, and handed Sarah a micro camera. "You're heading for the Records Library. I've already gotten you a pass from Ethane." She slid a laminated card across the table towards Sarah. "That camera can be concealed in your bra, I suggest you do just that." Sarah blushed, looking at the thin, credit card size camera.

"This is no more then a smoking bolts operation."

"But that's what you and Sands do best!" Sarah said.

Cerise gave Sarah a confident smile. "I can't exactly pull this off right now. Don't worry, I'll be with Sheldon. All YOU have to do is get pictures of those files for me."

"What am I looking for?"

"Any sign, any indication that someone is trying to frame him."

"I can think of a few people..." Sarah muttered, pocketing the camera.

"As can I...but Sands life may depend on this..." Cerise said softly.

Sarah sighed. "All right. Wish me luck."

"Good luck."

Sarah gave Cerise a quick hug before heading through the door. Cerise watched her go, before dropping into a near by chair and crying.

After a moment, she wiped the tears away, took out her cell phone and dialed.

"Tim Foley speaking."  
  
This was going to be hell.  
  
"Hey Tim, it's Cerise. Look, can you do me a favor? I have Debrief duty today, but something's come up and I was wondering if you could take my place."  
  
"Depends on what's come up," Tim answered.

Cerise was prepared to lie. "Lily's come down with a bout of the flu and I can't get a babysitter. Honestly, I don't want to leave her with one while she's this sick anyway."  
  
"Ah... alright. I'll take your place on one condition, Cerise. You go out with me this Saturday."

Cerise sighed, Tim Foley was ALWAYS out to get Cerise in bed with him. Most people who knew her, knew she had a daughter, but very few people knew who the father was. In fact, only the team and those she'd served under knew the truth, though the Company wasn't without their rumors.

"Tim..."  
  
"Aww... Come on Cerise, just dinner. That's the only way I'm going to do this for you today."  
  
"Alright, Saturday, IF Lily is feeling better."  
  
"Fair enough."  
  
She hung up before he could say anything else. She didn't want to hear it. As far as she was concerned, Lily would still be sick Saturday as well.

* * *

Ethane Danders was currently working in Archival Records. "Stone owes me," he said, looking at Sarah as he led her down the hall to a sign that read 'Authorized Personal Only'.

"Yes, I think she knows that," Sarah said softly.

"You've only got twenty minutes, I don't want to have to be answering any questions to my superiors."

"Fair enough," Sarah said quietly. Ethane unlocked the door, revealing a large room filled with filing cabinets from floor to ceiling.

"Know what you're looking for?" Ethane asked.

"Yep," Sarah nodded stepping into the room.

"All right. Twenty minutes, Darcy." Sarah nodded again and headed straight for the back of the room.  
  
Sarah began going through the files under S. Within a few minutes she found Sands file, which was quite thick. She didn't know EXACTLY what she was looking for, but when she was sure it was safe, she slid the micro camera from her bra, and began taking pictures of as many of the pages as she could. To her it looked standard. There was even a couple paragraphs on Cerise and Lily, but she did note his Psychological profile. She took careful time to photograph these pages.

"Doesn't play well with others," she muttered, shaking her head. Nice bold letters spelled out, '_Severe Trust Issues'._

"You're telling me..." She said to herself, snapping another photograph.

She frowned suddenly. There were pages missing. The file jumped from 27 to 36 without a trace of the pages in between. She scanned the page before and after and it looked standard. So what was wrong? She sighed and closed the folder, shoving it back in the file drawer and closing it. Checking her watch, she moved to the next filing cabinet and pulled out Cerise's file. Again, some pages where missing. Sarah made note of this and put the file back. 

She had five minutes to check her own. Quickly she found her file and flipped through it. Standard, but some pages where missing. She heard footsteps and shut the file closed, slipping it back into its spot and slamming the drawer closed. She left the room quickly, turning off the light and closing the door behind her.  
  
As she moved down the hall, she saw three Special Branch agents talking to Ethane and tried not to panic. Slipping into a side room, she pulled a cover stop, and stood near the door, trying to listen to as much as she could. A few minutes later, the three officers were moving down the hall towards the archival room. "Shit...shit, shit, shit," Sarah cursed softly, pulling out her cell phone. She sent Cerise a text message. Two words. _Safe House. _Sarah had the feeling she'd have to disappear for the rest of the day... lay low. When she was sure she could get away, she slipped out of the room and headed for the elevators. Ethane was no where to be seen.

_

* * *

_

_He could hear the drill, the metallic buzz it made growing ever closer. He was struggling, but his efforts were in vain. Restraints held him to the table, and someone's gloved hands where holding his head in place. He wondered briefly if it was Ajedrez. God, he hated that bitch! It was her fault that this was happening to him! The sound was getting closer, and he begged. A dead nerve inside of him knew it was no use, but still he begged. Then the pain began. A curtain of red blinded him and the pain steadily grew. He begged, he cried, he screamed. All fell on deaf ears, and the pain never ceased._

Sands came to, jerking up from the bed, breathing hard, a cold sweat running down his face. He suddenly realized he was being restrained. He began fighting, trying to tear himself away from whoever held him. "Let me go!" he cried, in a panicked voice.

"Sheldon Jeffery Sands!" A voice broke through.


	7. Vrai Amour

Authors Note: **Thanks to my wonderful Reviewers, you guys are great!**

Thanks to Scarlett for beta reading this, helps a lot hun!

Disclaimer: I don't own Sheldon Jeffery Sands or any other characters from _Once Upon A Time In Mexico_, they belong to their respected creators, I just let Sands come and play, a lot. ;)

* * *

Chapter Seven

Sands went tense for a moment, then began fighting harder to get away from whoever was holding him . Cerise struggled with him, trying to keep him from doing any harm to himself, more than to her. She cringed as his head hit the bed railing and a spot of crimson began to seep through the white bandage. Sands' struggling subsided slightly as his head filled with pain. Cerise managed to grab his wrists and pin them down as she leaned over him.

"Sheldon, it's alright," Cerise said soothingly.

"Cerise?" Sands asked, turning his head in every direction, as if trying to see her.

Cerise bit her lip, then spoke softly and calmly. "It's all right Shelly, it's me, it's alright."

Sands went still for a moment, his mind reeling. It couldn't possibly be her, he'd already dreamed he'd heard herâ€ now this. He attempted to fight back, but his head hurt to much. "No, no, you're dead..." He murmured, shaking his head back and forth continuously.

"Sheldon...... Shelly," She released one arm, to touch his cheek. Sands drew back slightly, but she caught his chin, turning his face towards her. "Shelly, darling, I'm still alive. What Sarah told youâ€ it was for your own good."  
  
Everything Sarah had said rushed back to him; the warning of someone unexpected, the mistake she made in the cafeteria. "But I saw you die!" he insisted.

"Shh. I didn't...I was picked up by Rick before that happened." Cerise fought to stay her own emotions, but tears were already running slowly down her cheeks.

"But... I don't... understand..." Sands said haltingly as he stopped struggling completely, a sharp numbing headache taking hold.

Cerise eased off, and sat on the edge of the bed, holding his hand. "Shelly, the agency thought... if you knew I'd survived it would only cause you more psychological problems."  
  
He lay there for a long moment, before letting his fingers tighten around hers. "Am I still dreaming?" he whispered. "I heard you talking to Sarah."

Cerise sighed and leaned towards him, brushing a lock of hair away from the white bandages. "You're not dreaming, Sheldon. I was here with you the first week, when they brought you back from Mexico. I was here last night, Sarah called me after you passed out."

His heart wanted to believe it, his head was rationalizing it out, and he'd never wanted to see so badly as he did at that moment. "Tell me something only my Cherry would know." he muttered.

Cerise blushed before sighing again. "All those nights, when I'd have my nightmares....you used to play... the guitar... softly..." she whispered. Sands had been the only person, other then the ones who'd inflicted the memories, to know she suffered nightmares, streaming from her past, her childhood, long before she'd joined the CIA.

Sands couldn't stop the tension from leaving his body. He'd gotten the answer he was hoping for. He knew he was the only person who knew of her nightmares. Even before they'd become romantically involved, he knew of her nightmares, and even at that point they'd both discovered that he could calm her down. Sometimes he'd played the guitar softly, other times they'd just lay in the bed together, talking about anything else, and still other times, oddly, his favorite times, she'd lay with her head on his lap and he'd rub her back. So many mornings he'd woke up, still sitting against the headboard, or the back of the couch, with his arms around her, while she curled up against him, head still on his lap. Her nightmares were the only thing that made her a little girl again and in a way, Sands was happy to know he wasn't the only one who'd had such a rotten childhood. The common link fueled his love and protectiveness of her even more.  
  
"I know... it's hard for you to understand right now..." Cerise said quietly. "I never agreed with what the Company did, but I'm still alive, and here now....and..." she hesitated. She couldn't keep herself from saying it, because it was too late now, but she still hesitated, wondering if he felt the same. "I still love you, very much so." Sands didn't reply. Cerise sighed and started to get up.  
  
But Sands' grip on her hand tightened and he kept her from doing so. "My head's hurting to fucking much right now to try and make sense of what those fuckmooks are trying to pull on me," he said between clenched teeth, "but I'm willing... to give a little faith on your part." He was ready to believe, and his heart screamed that it was true. But then another puzzle piece fell and he raised his head. "You were four months pregnant..." he said, suddenly hearing a sob she'd struggled to hold back as he felt her tears hit his hand.

"With your daughter..."

_Daughter..._ That word was ringing in his ears. He remembered the day she told him she was pregnant.

_

* * *

_

_He was playing the guitar, on the balcony outside the bedroom. They'd argued at the office that morning and when he'd come home to his apartment that night, she wasn't there. He wasn't surprised, she always took her space when they argued, but he knew, very well, she had nowhere else to go and so now he just waited. The last couple of days she'd been very tense, her nightmares had grown. Llast night alone she'd had two, and to calm her he'd had her lay on her belly as he massaged her back the rest of the night, whispering how much he loved her in French._

_His playing slowed as he heard the front door shut, and he listened to the footsteps. They paused in the hallway and he knew she was slipping off her shoes. A few moments later she appeared in the doorway of the bedroom; shoeless and standing at her full height of 5'3._

_Okay, so she might not have been his cup of tea, per say, in the past, but that had changed. He strummed the guitar, watching her come closer. God she was beautiful! And his! A cocky grin spread on his lips at the thought.  
  
She came out onto the balcony and sat down in the chair opposite him. He watched her from the corner of his eye. She was upset. He always knew when she was upset, but he waited for her to speak. She lay her cheek on the railing, watching him. He continued to play, shifting to a sweet melody she knew from her childhood. She sighed, closing her eyes and listening.  
  
Finally she spoke. "Will you play that for our children?" _

_Sands continued to play, but her question was starting to set in. He looked up sluggishly at her, still playing. "Probably..." he said slowly. She nodded, looking towards the evening sky. _

"_I'm pregnant, Sheldon." _

_Sheldon looked at her, and stopped playing all at once. "Pregnant?" _

"_Yes, Sheldonâ€ with your baby." She replied tartly. _

_He blinked. "How long?" he asked after a moment or so. _

"_Two months," Cerise answered softly. _

_Sands got up, leaving the guitar on the lounger, and moved around the balcony as he ran his hands through his hair. He was in shock, he'd never thought, he'd never even considered having children. "I.... God... this is..." _

_Cerise got up with a violent huff. "Whatever Sands. You can't say you don't know HOW it happened! You're the one who stopped using a condom," She stated, moving back into the bedroom. Sands turned, and saw her heading for the closet. His heart started beating faster, afraid he knew what she was about to do.  
  
His fears where answered when she pulled the closet door open and found a black bag and grabbed a few of her things. Sands moved back into the room, pulling the balcony door closed and going over to the closet, taking her arm. "Cerise!" He turned her to him, his eyes reflecting his desperation, and that desperation was the only thing that stopped Cerise from pulling out of his grasp. He struggled for something to say, but when he couldn't form the words, she ripped out of his grasp and grabbed the last of her things, shoving them into her bag. Then she pushed past him and moved towards the dresser. _

"_Cherry, please!" Sands pleaded. "Stop acting like this!" _

"_Acting like what, Sands?! Obviously, you don't give a damn!" _

"_I never said that!" Sands protested, following her around the room. _

"_No?! What do you want me to do, Sands? I'm two months pregnant with your baby!" _

"_Yes, you said that... Cerise, can't we work something out?"  
  
She stopped suddenly and turned to face him. Her motion caused him to stop too, and they stood there, mere inches from each other. "Do you want this, Sheldon? Me and the baby?" _

"_I'm not ready for kids..." _

"_Too bad..." she hissed dangerously, tears running down her cheeks. "I wont pressure you for child support." She shoved past him, and headed down the hall, forgetting her shoes and headed for the front door. _

_Sands sprinted after her. "Cherry, please!" he begged. He caught her at the door and she looked at him. He didn't try to hide the heartache and tears reflected in his eyes. He honestly didn't want her to leave. He loved her to damn much. But she had to know that. "Don't do this, Cherry," he whimpered. _

_She moaned, tempted to drop her bag right there. "I'm giving you time, Sheldon, to decided." _

"_Decide what?!" _

"_If I'm what you really want... if WE are what you really want." With that she opened the door and started out into the hall.  
  
Sands grabbed her arm, perhaps a little harder then he'd meant to, because he heard her gasp. He jerked her back inside the apartment and slammed the door, pressing her up against it, her back to him. He kept her pinned there, hard enough so that she couldn't struggle to get away, but not hard enough to hurt her. She swallowed, but didn't say anything. She knew what kind of a temper he had, but he'd never used it on her. He knew these kind of actions, being physically restrained, overpowered by a man, abused by a man, scared her to death. She'd only barely escaped that kind of abuse from the past. Sands had no desire to use force on her, but he had to make her understand. _

_He pressed against her, his lips near her neck and ear. He slid one hand down the arm that was holding the bag and uncurled her fingers from around the strap, making her drop it. _

"_You're not leaving..." he growled in her ear. Then he slid a hand around her waist, slowly, under her shirt. "I want you..." She didn't reply, but closed her eyes. He slid his hand half way into her jeans, so that it rested over her belly, under her clothes, skin on skin. "I want this..." he said, stroking her belly, "IF it's you who's giving it to me..." _

_He bit her lightly on the neck, kissing her ear. "Can you not understand, Cerise Stone, I love you. I love you so much, it hurts. I'd die for you." _

_Cerise broke there, her knees buckled and dropped her to the floor, as she sobbed. Sands fell with her, pulling her into his arms, and holding her tight. Her face was buried in his shoulder and he felt her tears seeping through the material of his T-shirt. "I love you Cherry," he whispered into her hair, rocking gently with her.  
  
"Shelly... I'm scared..." she whispered. "I want this, I want children... I want a family." _

"_Shh baby... don't be scared. I'm not going anywhere," he assured, still rocking her back and forth. _

"_What if HE finds..." _

_Sands sighed. When the simple mention of Cerise's father, never being called anything other then HE, entered a conversation, she became that little girl again, looking at him with wide dark green eyes full of tears, and his heart wrenched every time. "Baby, sweet baby. You don't have to worry about him. You know I wont let him touch you." _

_Her sobs slowed, but she continued to cry, her tiny frame shaking. "I just... want to be with you and have this..." He watched her hand come to rest on her belly and Sands moved one of his hands to rest over hers. _

"_You've got it, Cherry baby, I'll never leave your side." _

_She raised her head and looked up at him with those sparklingly emeralds. "I'm sorry, Sheldon..." she breathed. _

_He gave her a weary smile. "For what? Telling me I'm going to be a father?" _

"_You always said you didn't want children..." she whispered, and he remembered_ the _earlier conversation. He never wanted children because he never wanted to make the mistakes his parents had made.  
  
Before he replied, he moved their position, lowering her onto her back so that he was leaning over her. His hands rested on her waist and he ran his thumbs over her skin. "This is different, gorgeous." _

"_How?" She asked softly, desperately. _

_He leaned down, pushed her shirt up with one hand and kissed her belly, a flutter growing in his own stomach. Oh God, how he suddenly wanted this, how he wanted to see her, every day for the next seven months with a baby growing in her, HIS baby. He looked up at her and she saw this desire reflected in those haunting golden brown eyes. "It's you who's giving it to me, and I want you. I love you, and I love this child, already." _

_And he did. So there was only one thing left to do. He moved up, looking down at her, only inches apart. "Vous fera m'épouse? Confarrio mei?" _

_Cerise stared at him. Both French and Latin she knew, but she was shocked none the less... and if possible, even more in love. _

"_Oui, je veux vous épouser! Aio ego arbitratus confarrio tu!" _

_Sands grinned lopsidedly, so happy with the reply. He leaned down and kissed her hard and passionately, rolling onto his back, with her in his arms._

* * *

"My daughter..." Sands muttered, his brow furrowed. "â€but you never found out the sex... where is she?" He didn't have to be told. There was no other possible explanation for why she'd worded it the way she had, except for the fact that not only had his Cherry survived, but his child had as well.

"She's with your grandmother, Ruth, at this very moment.." Cerise said softly. "She's three now.....she has your eyes..."

A slow, tired smile spread on Sands' lips. "I have a daughter... what's her name?"

"Lily Ann Sands..." Cerise breathed, leaning closer. Sands turned his face towards her, feeling her breath on his cheek.

"I wanna see her... I wanna meet her," he said strongly.

"Rest first, Shelly," she whispered.

"And if I wake up and this - you - has all been a dream?"

"Then know I still love you... even in dreams."  
  
"My Cherry...." he sighed, wrapping an arm around her waist. "Stay with me, please... if only for tonight." he pleaded.  
  
"Ego nutus in omne tempus," she whispered. Sands smiled a bit more and muttered in reply, "Ego amo tu mei deliciae," Before sleep caught hold of him again.

* * *

Translations

French- vous fera m'épouse?- Will you Marry me?

Latin-confarrio mei? - Marry me?

French- Oui, je veux vous épouser- Yes, I will Marry you

Latin- aio ego arbitratus confarrio tu -Yes I will Marry you

Latin- Ego nutus in omne tempus- I will forever

Latin- Ego amo tu mei deliciae- I love you, my darling


	8. Lily

Authors Note: Thanks to the wondeful, wonderful reviews.  
  
Thanks to Scarlett for beta reading this for me.

Disclaimer: I don't own Sheldon Jeffrey Sands or any othe characters from _Once Upon A Time In Mexico_, they belong to their respected creators. I just let them come and play, often. ;)

* * *

Cerise watched him for a long time. She wiped off her cheeks as a soft smile graced her lips. He still loved her... but then again, it could be the pain medication talking.

She frowned, looking at the bandages. There was still crimson seeping through them at his temple, and that had her worried. She got up from the bed and went out into the hall, catching Kate, the older nurse who Sands had actually taken a liking to. Kate was an older woman, in her mid fifties, who did her job very well. She cared for everyone and Cerise couldn't help but like her.

"Kate, can you get me some bandages?" Cerise said softly.

"Everything alright?" Kate asked.

"He had a nightmare...and well, there's some blood."

Kate grimaced before grabbing a few rolls of fresh bandages. "I'll come in there with you."

Cerise nodded.  
  
Back in Sands' room, Kate unwrapped the bandages from around Sands' head as he slept. Cerise swallowed... this would be the first time she'd see the damage that had been done. Kate had before, she'd changed his bandages numerous times the first week he arrived.

"You wanna leave the room, honey?" Kate asked her.

Cerise shook her head. "I have to see it for myself." she muttered, half to herself.

Kate nodded and then continued unwrapping the final layer.  
  
Cerise gasped as the last of the bandages fell away, and she was met by two gaping black holes. A trickle of blood ran from the depths of his left socket. Cerise could feel her body trembling and tears began rolling silently down her cheeks. She clenched her fists tightly.

Her Shelly, her poor Shelly. They'd done this to him, taken his eyes. Never, would he see her face again. He'd NEVER see their daughter's face. The thoughts made Cerise cry even harder.

Kate quickly re-bandaged his eyes and moved over to Cerise. "It's all right, sweetheart...at least you're with him now, and he knows." Kate said softly, giving Cerise a hug.

Cerise nodded. At least he knew, and Cerise didn't regret breaking the Company's orders.

* * *

Around one o'clock, Sands came to again. He lay for a long moment not moving, just listening. He heard soft breathing coming from very close to his bed, and let out his own breath slowly. It hadn't been a dream. Hadn't been his wretched mind playing more tricks on him. At least, he hoped, that when he spoke, it would be Cerise answering him, and not Sarah. Sands took a deep breath and started to sit up, speaking, "Mon Amour?"  
  
Cerise had fallen into a catnap with her book, when she heard Sands speaking quietly. She opened her eyes, stretching, to find him sitting up. "I'm here, Sheldon." She watched as he grabbed the bed control and lifted the back, so he could lean back.

He sighed in relief. "So it wasn't a dream..."

Cerise put her book down and stood up, moving to the side of the bed where the railing was down. "Did you want it to be?" she asked timidly. She caught the ghost of his cocky grin before he answered.

"Never. Now I just have to figure out why the Company didn't want me to know you were alive..."

She took his hand. "Is now the right time to be thinking about that?" she asked.

"As good a time as any. Why didn't you find a way to tell me before!?" he demanded, trying to be as gentle as possible.

"Sheldon, I wanted you to know. God knows I did! But... Monterio is still alive... and I was afraid he'd find out if I contacted you and that put me, you and Lily in danger."  
  
She was right, he realized, on both counts. Monterio was still alive. He'd evaded Sands every attempt at revenge. Someone was protecting him, and if Monterio or someone in the Company discovered Cerise had broken an order like that, it threatened her life and their daughter's life. He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it lightly. "I'll figure it out... then I'll put a bullet in their brain." he said strongly. It was a promise, not a threat.

"You accept all this then?"

He nodded yes. "But I don't trust anyone, especially after this." he gestured to his face.

"Do you trust me?" Cerise asked softly.

"I always have, baby," Sands replied.

"Listen Sheldon, it gets worse..." Cerise said.

"Yeah, how?"

"Matinzie is dead... and Sarah has informed me that they think you went rogue on them... that you were working as a double agent." Sands snorted.

"I wasn't going rogue. Fifteen years of service to these fuckers and they think I was going rogue?!"

"That's why Matinzie was coming back to the States. He was going to testify on your behalf... but he was killed by a car bomb on the way to the airport."

"So SOMEONE wants me out of the picture..." Sands muttered. "Where's Sarah?"

"I sent her on an errand," Cerise said, not sure if she should tell Sands just what kind of errand at the moment.

"Ruth is bringing Lily in an hour..." Cerise said delicately, breaking the silence that followed.

"Yeah? I suppose I can manage to see my grandmother."

Cerise smiled slightly. "She's done a lot for me and Lily..."

Sands nodded. As long as his grandmother didn't ask him about the bitch of a mother he had, he'd tolerate it. "Does Lily know I'm her father?" Sands asked finally.

"Yes..." Cerise answered. "Sarah has a few photographs of you, and well... Lily found them when she was almost two... and Sarah made it a point to always show them to her, and tell her that that's her daddy. Lily's gotten to the point now where she cries out daddy when she sees one."

"I have a daughter..." Sands ruefully shook his head. "I just can't believe it..."

Cerise smiled slightly. "Believe it."

* * *

Cerise caught up with Ruth in the lobby.

"I'm sorry, I'd like to stay longer and see how Sheldon is doing, but I've got so much to do right now," Ruth said, handing Cerise the bag.

"Mummy!" Lily bounced on her feet for her mother to pick her up.

"It's all right. Sheldon's got a lot on his mind right now too," Cerise told Ruth. The old woman frowned, but said no more. Cerise picked up her daughter. "Thank you, though, for taking Lily."

"No probably darling. I've got to go now, take care of yourself.' Ruth leaned forward and kissed Lily on the cheek. "Bye-bye, Lily bug."

Lily opened and closed her little hand, waving goodbye. Cerise watched Ruth go, before turning to the elevator.  
  
In the elevator, Cerise was silently glad it was just her and Lily. "Listen darling, we're going to go up and see your daddy now..." Cerise told the little girl, looking at her. "My daddy?"

"Yes, Lily bug." Lily wrapped her arms Cerise's neck and clung to her. Cerise swallowed. The elevator doors opened to the floor Sands was on. She took a deep breath. Even though he already knew he had a daughter, she was still nervous about how he'd take to her, and desperately hoping he was going to be a good father. She entered the room. Sands was sitting on the edge of the bed, head hanging down.

"Everything alright?" he asked at her footsteps.

"Ruth couldn't stay," Cerise said, walking to him. Sands felt pressure on the bed as Cerise put Lily on it. "Sheldon..."

Sands turned towards her voice. Cerise swallowed hard, unsure how to go about this, but Lily took it from there.

Lily stood up and walked the short distance across the bed to Sands. "Daddy!"

Sands heard the small voice and his heart unexpectedly began to race. He felt little hands touch his face and reached up, wrapping a hand around a tiny waist, holding her steady as his little girl wobbled on the bed. "Hi baby," he said, with an uncertain smile.

Lily fell against him, wrapping her arms around his neck. Sands, who had spent most of his life relying on only himself and having locked himself away from such emotions, finally gave. For the first time he chose to remember, this was what he wanted. A woman he was willing to marry, a woman he was willing to die for, and a child he could be a father to. Sands pulled Lily off the bed and onto his lap.

Cerise fought back the tears of happiness she was feeling. She sat down on the bed next to the united pair, smoothing back Lily's hair. Sands wrapped his other arm around her, drawing her closer.  
  
"I've got to run down stairs and make a call, Sheldon. I'm going to leave Lily here," Cerise said, standing.

Sands was silent a moment, then spoke, his cheek resting on Lily's head. "Are you going to tell me what you're up to, Cerise?"

Cerise sighed. "When I get back. Then I'll explain what I know so far."

"You'd better." He listened to her footsteps disappear from the room. He sat Lily on the end of the bed. She pulled up her toy bag and began taking toys out to show her daddy.

Sands couldn't help but smile when she thrust a toy in his hand, telling him what it was. He realized right then that his daughter was rather smart for her age, accepting that he couldn't see, explaining each toy to the fullest detail that a three year old's vocabulary could manage. He grinned slightly, despite himself.

Kate came in and informed Sands that he was to be released in the morning. "Good, glad to get out of this shit hole," Sands replied. "No offense to you sugarbutt." He grinned at Kate.

Kate shook her head. "You've been the bane of this floor, Officer Sands, but we'll be sad to see you go."

"I bet you will."

He just grinned. Kate laughed softly and looked at Lily who was sitting on the edge of the bed playing with a cloth doll. "Is this your little one?"

Sands head raised, a slow smiling playing on his lips. He reached out and touched Lily's hair. "Yeah, ain't she cute?"

"She's adorable. Looks just like you."

"Here's hoping she's behaves better then me." Kate chuckled as she left.  
  
When she was gone, Sands sighed, sitting back against the bed. The news had only brought one thing to mind. Now what was he going to do? Sure, he wanted out of this place, it was slowly driving him crazy. But when he left here, what was he going to do?

_Snap out of it, you're still an Officer for the CIA! _

This was true. They still hadn't debriefed him as of yet, so until that happened, he wasn't out of the Agency. Plus, now he had to get to know his daughter. As if she was answering his thoughts, he felt her weight shift from the end of the bed, moving towards him. A moment later, he felt a little head on his chest and sighed, wrapping his arm around her. She said nothing, but was content to lay against him, holding the rag doll.

* * *

Cerise hung up the phone. She'd just talked to Sarah. Sarah had told her in a cryptic way that pages were missing from Sands' records, as well as both Sarah and Cerise's records. So the question was, why? They weren't authorized to get a hold of those records and see for themselves, but that would be the only way to figure out what pages where missing. Hopefully, Cerise could piece it together from the pictures Sarah had taken. She sighed and turned for the elevators.  
  
She entered the room to find Lily laying against Sands, nearly asleep Sands just sat there with his arm around her. "You know she's almost asleep." Cerise said.

"I kinda figured that," Sands replied dryly.

Cerise flopped down in the chair by the bed and yawned. "She's not the only one who's tired," Cerise muttered.

"Well, the bed's not big enough for all three of us," Sands drawled. Cerise shook her head.  
  
When silence fell, Sands quickly broke it. "They're releasing me in the morning."

Cerise raised her head. "Are they sure that's a good idea?"

Sands turned his head in her direction and frowned. "Why not?"

"I don't know, Shelly, do you think it's a wise idea to release you on the public?"

He stuck his tongue out at her and got a soft laugh in reply. "I think she's asleep," Sands said with a slight grin, turning his head towards Lily. All he heard was soft breathing.

Cerise half stood and looked at her daughter and sighed. "Yep, she's asleep." Cerise confirmed, standing fully. "I should put her in the chair."

Sands stopped her at the side of the bed. "Don't... she's alright." Sands said.

Cerise stopped and looked down at him. Sands turned to face her, though he couldn't see the soft smile on her face. "Alright...but when she starts kicking, don't say I didn't warn you."

"Oh, like you didn't do worse in bed," Sands replied. "With all the tossing, turning and moaning."

"Ouch, Sheldon," Cerise replied hotly and immediately Sands knew he'd crossed the line.

He hadn't meant it that way to begin with. When she didn't say anything again, he sighed and spoke gently. "I'm sorry Cherry, I didn't mean it like that."

She sighed. "Just....just get some sleep, Sheldon." She'd curled up in the farthest corner of the chair, looking out the window into the night.

Sands sighed, he knew he wasn't going to get any more out of her. He settled back against the bed and contently listened to the breathing of both his daughter and the woman he loved.


	9. Escape

Authors Note: Girls, you're really keeping me going with the reviews, Thanks!  
Thanks to Scarlett for beta reading this, as always girl, HUGE help.  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Sheldon Jeffrey Sands, or any other characters from _Once Upon A Time In Mexico_, they belong to their respected creators, I just let them come and play, alot.;)

* * *

He woke up some time in he middle of the night, and at first couldn't pinpoint the sound that had woken him up. He lay there, very still, listening. He heard Cerise sleeping in the chair next to the bed, and could still feel Lily lying next to him. At first he thought it may have just been a dreams, but then he heard the sound again. There was a scuffling coming from outside the room, in the hall. He strained his ears, hearing a muffled cry and more scuffling. He knew the sound well... someone was being strangled.

He sat up slowly, one hand on Lily, lying her down in his place gently, continuing to listen. The sound of someone going through charts got his attention, then a soft whisper in Spanish.

"El está en allí."

Sands had the feeling he was the only he they were talking about.

Sands moved silently, getting out of bed and to Cerise's side. His hand over her mouth woke her up with a start, and Sands brought a finger to his lips. "Are you armed?" he breathed.

"Yes..." She replied just as softly.

"Give me your gun."

"Sheldon.."

"Just give me your gun."

Cerise pulled the 9 mm from her bag and slipped it in to Sands' hand.

"Get Lily," he ordered in a whisper, moving towards the door. Cerise swallowed, but didn't question. By then, she'd heard the noises coming from the hall. She stood and moved through the dark room and scooped Lily up from the bed, managing not to wake the child.  
  
Sands stood near the door and listened. To his dislike, another nurse entered the scene.

"Hey! What's going on!?"

Night nurses. Sands was glad Kate had already gone for the night. Someone grabbed the nurse and he heard her struggling, then nothing. There was a thud a moment later as the goons dropped her body on the floor. Sands swore silently and slid the safety on the gun off. He moved back towards Cerise and stood between her and the door.

They listened for a long moment, then the sound of the door knob being shot broke the short silence, and the door being pushed open. "Get down," Sand hissed to Cerise, pushing her down beside the bed. He listened to the footsteps and someone opening fire.

Two shots and he heard the thud of a body falling. He heard someone struggling away from the nurses station... there was more then one of them. This one came skidding into the room and Sands didn't give him a chance. Sands pulled the trigger and shot the intruder. He heard the clatter of a gun falling to the floor, followed by a body.

Sands stood still, waiting. When he didn't hear anyone more, he spoke to Cerise. "Who are they?"

Cerise got up, Lily was now awake and clinging to her. "They're not from the Company, if that's what you're wondering." Cerise said. She put Lily on the bed and told her to stay put, then she moved over to the bodies. "They've got no identification, but they look Mexican..."

"The last of the Barillo cartel," Sands muttered.

"They'd travel all the way to D.C. to finish you off?" Cerise asked.

Sands shrugged. "I think we should go, NOW!" Sands ordered.

Cerise had the feeling he was right. She moved back over to the bed, picked Lily up, and grabbed her bag.

"I can make it as far as the cafeteria, after that, you'll have to be my eyes." Sands said dejectedly, stooping and picking up one of the men's AK-40s. He shouldered it and moved into the hall. One of his bare feet connected with a nurse's bodyand he stooped again, feeling around for a pulse, but found none.

Cerise looked around the dimly lit hall; there were three nurse's bodies. "Professionals..." Cerise muttered. "They've cut the power to the security cameras," she told Sands after spotting one in the dead cameras, the little red light had gone out.

"Great. Makes me feel a lot better," he drawled, standing again. With out a word, he headed for the elevator. Cerise followed, Lily buried her face in her mother's shirt. Sands hit the elevator button, but nothing happened. "I see they've cut the power to the elevators as well..." Sands growled. "Where's the door to the stairs?"

"About ten steps to your left" Cerise answered, looking up and down the hallway.

Sands counted his steps and reached out with a hand, pushing the door to the stairs open. "Let's go Cherry."

* * *

They took the stairs two at a time, their footsteps the only sound in the stairwell. Cerise found it very creepy, and her mind had been turning ever since they'd left Sands' room. "Sheldon... those men... they might have been the Delgado cartel..."

"Who are they?" Sands asked, stopping to listen to both Cerise, and for anyone who may be coming up or down the stairs.

"The cartel I was working to bring down... they... Delgado... he was partnered with Barillo."

Sands raised an eye brow. "How fascinating. When were you going to tell me this?"

"Once I had more of the puzzle pieces," Cerise replied, knowing she'd better tell Sands everything.

"Tell me all of it, Cerise."

That was a command, not a request. Cerise sighed. "I was working an operation that was in sync with yours. My results depended on your results. I don't know why you weren't told another Officer was in the area."

"And?"

"When what happened to you happened, the Delgado cartel came after me. That's not it..."

"I didn't think it was."  
  
"I sent Sarah to take a look at your 201 file... there are pages missing from it, as well as from mine and hers."

Sands was silent for a moment, then nodded. "Let's go." He turned and headed down the stairs. He didn't even reply to what Cerise had told him, but his mind was turning. So some one was trying to frame him. He'd expected this by the false bona fides on Ajedrez. Whoever planted those wanted him to get caught. But why would someone want to frame Cerise and Sarah? When they got to the first floor, Sands shoved his pride back enough to ask Cerise if anyone was around.

"It's clear..." She said softly. They made a break for the main door and gunfire erupted. Sands spun, but Cerise grabbed him, dragging him behind a nurses station. Cerise slipped Lily under the desk and told her to stay put, setting her toy bag next to her.

"Fuck!" Sands yelled.  
  
This brought another round of bullets over their head, shattering the glass above them. Cerise covered her head, moving backwards to escape the glass, but hissed in pain when she backed her shoulder into a shard. She raised her head to see Sands stand and turn in one fluid motion, pulling the trigger of the 9mm. When he'd emptied the clip of that, he chucked the gun and slipped the strap of the AK-40 off his shoulder. His fingers expertly clicking off the safety and opening fire.

When the gunfire ceased from the other direction, Sands stood there ridged, grasping the gun tightly and breathing deeply. 

"That's all of them...." Cerise said from her spot, voice trembling slightly. It had been a long time since she'd been in this kind of spot with Sands.

Sands lowered the gun, half turning in the direction of Cerise's voice. He heard Lily scrambled out from under the desk, and throw herself at her mother with a whimper. "Are you both alright?" Sands asked.

"Other then a few scratches from the glass, perfectly fine," Cerise said, holding Lily. "Well, a little shaken..."  
  
Sands dropped down to the floor behind the desk, leaning against it, and drawing up his knees. He was frustrated by his lack of sight, and by the idea someone, who ever the fuck it was, was going to serious lengths to put an end to him. And he was tired, this whole 'escape' was the most moving he'd done since he'd been able to. He sat the gun on the floor. Still breathing hard, he leaned his head back against the wood a moment, listening to the silence of the lobby. Then he reached up and started undoing the bandages from around his eyes. Cerise watched a moment, before digging through her bag and pulling out a pair of black sunglasses. "Sheldon, here."  
  
Sands dropped the bandages on the ground and reached out, feeling for what Cerise was offering. His fingers closed around the plastic and he grinned slightly, taking them from her and slipping them on. "What do ya say we get the fuck out of here?" he asked her.

"I'm all for it." Sands stood, grabbing the AK-40 just in case. He followed Cerise out the front door, and though the parking lot.

* * *

Cerise fumbled with the keys for the car as they walked at a quick pace. When she stopped at the black SUV, so did Sands and he threw the automatic weapon under the nearest car, disposing of it. Cerise pulled open one of the back doors as Sands found the handle for the front passenger and opened it. She buckled Lily in and slammed the door. As she started around the front, Sands grabbed her arm tightly, but gently. He had one foot in the car. "You alright?"

Cerise sighed. "Just shaken," she admitted. Sands nodded and let her go, getting in the car.

Cerise shut the engine off in the parking lot of Sands' apartment. He'd said nothing the entire drive back. The car ride had lulled Lily back to sleep, which Cerise was glad of.

"Home?" Sands asked finally.

"Yeah.." Cerise whispered, leaning on the steering wheel. Sands said nothing, getting out of the car. Cerise watched him. How he pulled off moving around so easily with out being able to see was keeping her in awe. She watched him turn to the car door behind him and after a moment, he pulled it open, reaching in with both hands and unbuckling Lily.  
  
Cerise got out after grabbing the keys and walked around the front to stand next to the car, as Sands slammed the door and turned to Cerise. Lily was laying over his shoulder, still fast asleep, a thumb in her mouth, her rag doll in her arms. "We've got to talk, Cerise." Sands said seriously. Cerise had the feeling where this was going to lead.  
  
She followed Sands into the building and up the stairs, not for the first time, and she doubted it would be the last. She unlocked the door of the apartment, no words where said until they were inside and Cerise was shutting the door.

"Where should I put her?" Sands asked.

"The bed.." Cerise said softly, forehead leaning against the cold wood. She turned the lock and watched Sands move through the apartment with ease. Nothing had been moved, so he knew the home by memory.  
  
Cerise didn't doubt this, and so she moved through the hall to the bathroom and turned on the light. Pulling the medicine cabinet open, she took the first aid kit out. She slammed the medicine cabinet and saw Sands standing in the doorway, reflected in the mirror. There was a 22 in his fingers, the small silver gun gleaming in the light. "What's the point of that, Sheldon?" She asked dryly, taking her shirt off and looking at her shoulder.

"Just in case," he said evenly, leaning against the doorframe.

"I don't think you told me everything, you know."

"And that's supposed to make me tell you?" Her eyes steeled, and she didn't mask the anger in her voice, making sure Sands' heard it.  
  
He raised the gun in front of his face, as if looking at it. "I know other ways of getting the truth out of you." Something soft slapped him in the face, knocking his sunglasses askew. "What the fuck was that for?!" he growled, closing the bathroom door, leaving them in the small light blue room.  
  
"That you would even bloody well imply that I would double cross you!" Cerise hissed.

"Next time it'll be my hand," She threatened.

"I'm still armed, gorgeous." Sands stated.

"You wouldn't fucking dare!" Cerise snapped.

"Fine." Sands tossed the gun towards her, it clattered as it landed in the sink.  
  
He held up both hands to show he was unarmed. Cerise stood there, a bandage to her shoulder, watching him close. "What the fuck do you want, Sheldon?"

"What do I want?" he asked dryly. "Gee... I wonder?" His tone slipped into sarcasm. "Why don't you tell me what you're doing back in my life after three years of such clever deception."

Cerise was tensing up, well aware what was going to happen and unable to stop it. "What I'm doing back in your life? Gee Sheldon," she matched his sarcasm. "I figured that was obvious."

"Oh, Lily? I don't doubt she's mine," he replied in an ironic tone.

"So what, Sheldon? what do you want to know?"

"Three years, Cerise, and NOW you contact me?"  
  
"I had my orders," Cerise said softly.

"Orders for what?!" he pressed, swallowing. The only way he was going to get answers was to be relentless and hard, and he knew where it would end. He steeled himself. If it drove her to tears, he'd worry about it later, and if she attempted to the leave the bathroom there was another 9 mm in his back waistband. He had no intention of physically harming Cerise, but his trust was not present.  
  
"Orders to stay away, to throw everything I'd worked for in the last eight years into the fucking dust and walk away!" Cerise snapped.

"And the Cerise Stone I knew didn't turn away from something like... what we had." The last three words came out with a swallow of air. First of all, what HAD they had? That little nasty voice crept forward. "Oh you fuckmook, you know exactly what you two had! You LOVED her." _Shut UP! _"LOVE," the voice screamed. "You loved her and you fucking know it, and you STILL LOVE her!" Sands took a deep breath, shoving that nasty little voice back, because frankly, he was starting to realize who it sounded like.

_Now is NOT the time to have a fucking Norman Bates moment_.

Cerise stood there, glaring with a raised eyebrow. Sands shook his head as if in disgust before tilting it to continue facing her.

Cerise swallowed back the tears before answering. "I had my daughter to think of as well..."

"Our daughter."

"Oh, NOW you except her!"  
  
"You weren't the type to sleep around," Sands said simply.  
  
"No, I didn't, and you know WHY?" Her temper was raising in defense. "Because I loved you, I still LOVE you!"  
  
Sands didn't answer for a long moment, unsure how to reply. But his own defenses kicked in. "Then again...after being raped by your father so much, maybe you enjoy that kind of thing."  
  
The crack echoed through the bathroom, followed by the soft thud as sunglasses hitting the floor. He stood there, the sting tingling through his cheek, hearing the sound of her stifling sobs before him.  
  
"You fucking ruddy bastard!" she cried. "How DARE YOU!" Her voice was rising and didn't hide the hurt or anger. "How fucking dare you even suggest something like that, or that I'd sleep around. You don't KNOW what it's been like these last three years. You will NEVER know."  
  
"Oh don't give me that fucking shit!" Sands snapped, finally able to find his voice. "You don't know what this is like!" He was standing there, with out his sunglasses, knowing she had full view of where his eyes should be and he wasn't going to retrieve the sunglasses until he was sure he'd gotten his point across.

"No, Sands. You know why I don't know what it's like?! BECAUSE YOU WONT FUCKING TELL ME!" she screamed.

He knew when she used Sands, it was bad between them.  
  
"Sometimes," Her voice had dropped considerably, "I think I'll never understand why I fell in love with you, Sands, and sometimes I understand why Connie left."

If anything, that hit him harder than her slap. He didn't stop her from moving past him. Didn't stop her from opening the door. He heard her footsteps moving towards the bedroom as she continued to cry. The mention of the woman he'd almost married, until he found her cheating on him, stung hard.

But the idea that Cerise was leaving now, made him move. He stooped, picking up the sunglasses and slipped them on. He left the bathroom, snapping off the light out of habit, and headed for the bedroom. He heard Cerise scooping up Lily.

"I'm sorry, darling," he heard her whisper.

"Cerise..."

"I don't want to hear it Sands!" she snapped.

She slammed the door in his face and he heard the lock turn. "Cerise!" He said loudly, pushing on the door, but it didn't give in. "Don't do this shit, Stone!" He hit the door in anger.

"You started it!" she declared from the other side, and he knew she wasn't going to open the door anytime soon. Sands spun on his heel and stalked back towards the living room. He sank down on the couch, an angry look on his face.


	10. Consequences

Authors Note: **The rating has been bumped up from pg-13 to R because of Adult situations at the end of this chapter. If you dislike this sort of thing.. I suggest not reading it... **

Thanks to my wonderful reviewers!  
  
Thanks Scarlett for beta reading this. Helps a LOT girl. :)  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Sheldon Jeffrey Sands, or any other characters from Once Upon A Time In Mexico, they belong to their respected creators. I just let them come and play. ;) Nor do I own 'Rebel Yell' by Billy Idol or 'Free Bird' by Lynard Skynard.

* * *

The time ticked by, a clock in the study proclaiming it was somewhere around five in the morning. Sands had been sitting in the chair farthest from the front door and farthest from the hallway to the other rooms, a loaded pistol under the frame in his reach. He'd been flipping open the lid of the lighter he'd taken back from Sarah and flipping it closed. He was internally kicking himself.

"Stupid fucker, you shouldn't have said it," he muttered to himself. Sighing, he pocketed the lighter and ran his hands through his hair as he leaned forward. He let his hands run over the coffee table in front of him. He found his disc man and a pack of cigarettes and pulled both towards him. The disc man was something other then the clock to listen to, though he didn't remember what CD he'd had in it last. He slipped the headphones on and pushed play, grinning in the darkness.

"_Last night a little dancer came dancin' to my door,  
Last night a little angel Came pumpin' across my floor,  
She said "Come on baby I got a license for love,  
And if it expires pray help from above."_

He let his fingers search the rest of the table and he found his pocket knife. He stiffened a moment, a thousand memories flashing through his mind. Memories of being in that cupboard under the stairs as a kid, pounding and screaming, all hours of the day and night. Memories of hiding on the roof as a teen, smoking a cigarette to help stop the threatening tears. Memories of finding the pocket knife and slicing skin to rid himself of emotional pain. The physical pain always distracted him from the emotional pain.  
  
Sands sat back, turning the slender object around in his fingers, his mind reeling. The song brought back the guilt of what he'd done to Cerise earlier.

_I walked the ward with you, babe  
A thousand miles with you  
I dried your tears of pain, babe  
A million times for you_

It seemed so easy to him. So he pulled the slenderest, sharpest blade open and cocked his head to the side, considering what he was about to do. He grabbed a pack of cigarettes and pulled one out, sliding it between his lips and lighting it. Then he spun the pocket knife with its open blade once and muttered, "Fuck it." He pressed the blade to his arm and put enough pressure on it to break skin as he dragged it across his arm. He felt the pain as the blade dug in, sharp and numbing, sweet and releasing.

He felt the warm sticky trickle of blood that he'd become so familiar with as of late, drip down his arm. If Kate had been nice enough to give him the black sweats like he asked, the blood wouldn't show up on his pants. If not, he didn't much care at this moment. He just wanted this release. It took his mind off what he'd said to Cerise earlier. What he didn't have to see but heard all the same, and the fact that he DID want to see it. God, more then anything, he wanted to see her face right now!

The CD changed to another song, and as he dug another cut, he listened.

_Bye, bye, its been a sweet love.  
Though this feeling I can't change.  
But please don't take it badly,  
'Cause Lord knows I'm to blame. _

How that made so much sense to him right now. He was to blame, he'd stung her hard. He knew better then to ever bring up her father, a man he would gladly kill if given the chance for what he'd done to Cerise. Her back still bore the scars. How many nights had he kissed every one of those 34 scars? From the longest, to the smallest on the back of her neck and he'd do it again. If only she'd forgive him for his mouth in the bathroom.

_And this bird you'll never change.  
And this bird you cannot change.  
Lord knows, I can't change.  
Lord help me, I can't change_

He snorted bitterly at the last two lines. His right arm, the one he was cutting, now on his third slash, was starting to tremble and feel light. But his mind wasn't on that. Now he was contemplating those last two lines. God he wanted to change, he was more then willing to change, IF it was for Cerise. That realization was so firm in his mind. He was willing to settle down. He had the chance to know his daughter, to be a better father then his father had ever been, whether he could see or not. He just felt the desire and ache to be with them both, whether he stayed an officer for the CIA or not. He felt at that moment, all he wanted in his life was his daughter and the woman he loved more than life.

* * *

Cerise had been standing in the doorway of the hall for a few minutes. When she hadn't heard anything from him for a while, she got a little worried and a little more curious.

She was hoping to find him asleep on the couch. But instead, here he was, leaning over the coffee table cutting rail road tracks in his arm. He'd cut a series of four or five horizontal cuts on the inside of his right arm, before the tattoo he had there. Now he was dragging the blade up his arm vertically in the middle of the horizontal ones. "Those will scar," she finally spoke.

The blade slipped, going diagonal at the wrist. He hissed a sharp swear and dropped the blade on the table in defeat. "One more scar to add tothe whole collection, eh?" Sands mumbled, leaning back in the chair, arm resting on his leg. He hadn't heard Cerise and he was a little pissed at himself for it. He heard her move from the hallway and towards the couch, sitting down near his chair. He didn't move.

"When did you start cutting again?" she asked softly.

"Do you care?"

"Go to hell."

"I'm in hell!" He heard her sigh.

"Stop being such a bastard, Sands. I'm going outside for a smoke."

He heard her get up. Cerise stopped at the door to the kitchen and grabbed a dishrag. If there was one thing she knew about Sands, it was that he'd follow her outside. She unlocked the door, digging in her purse on the table next to it, looking for her cigarettes. As rarely as she smoked, she still did, and it had been Sands who'd started her on the habit.  
  
Pulling the door open, she moved into the hall, intent on going out to the outside stairs to sit down. As she moved towards them she heard the apartment door open again. _Bingo_ she thought. He was following. She lingered a moment by the outside door, before pushing it open and stepping out. The stairs led down to a courtyard in the middle of the rectangular complex. There were four sets of stairs, one on each side.

* * *

She sat herself down in the middle of the stairs and gazed down at the large pool and patio area. A moment later, she heard him come through the door and move down the stairs slowly.

Sands had guessed she'd come this way, without her having to linger by the door to tell him. When she had been living with him, this is where she often came to think. Now he just had to decide where on the stairway she was sitting. He felt her presence near the middle and slipped down next to her... at least he hoped it was her.

He knew he was right when she reach over, taking his right arm, and wrapping the dishtowel tightly around the cuts. He sighed dejectedly, knowing he should have expected her to do this.

She said nothing, but her fingers slipped down to tangle with his, and she held his hand, looking back out at the pool. They sat there in silence for a long while.

Sands understood that he had to be the one to break the quiet. "What I said in the bathroom....I didn't mean."

"I know," she said simply. He hadn't heard her light a cigarette, so he knew it had simply been a ply to get him to follow and apologize.

"You know, I've caught onto your little game now," Sands said with mock cynicism.

"Well, I'm glad of that." Cerise answered dryly. "Let's get something straight, Officer Sands. I did not, I repeat, DID NOT, play you, or turn traitor on you... not now or EVER," Cerise said hotly.

"Yeah, well, I don't have a lot of trust these days," Sand said. "So I had to know."

"And that was your fucking way of asking? Are you suggesting that it was me who called those assassins or whoever the fuck they were?" she demanded.

"No.." Sands said softly.

"Alright!" She rested her case. Sands did light a cigarette, and he exhaled the smoke slowly. Silence settled between them again. Cerise leaned over slightly, still holding Sands' hand and it was at that moment, as a few warm tears hit his hand, that he realized she was crying. He turned his head in her direction, his mouth opening.

But her next action froze him to his spot. She let go of his hand, and reached up. He felt her fingers brush his cheek as she took a hold of his sunglasses. He jerked back instinctively. It didn't matter that he'd only had them on a few hours, they'd become a part of him. More so now than ever before. It didn't matter that she'd seen him without them at the hospital. He didn't want her to see, he didn't want ANYONE to see. But he felt her removing them. His hand shot up to stop her. "Don't..." he breathed, but she didn't stop. She took the sunglasses off completely.

She swallowed hard. In the yellow light, they looked so black... so endless. She wanted to turn away, wanted to _run_ away, but she forced herself to stay. She lay the sunglasses on his thigh, moving her other hand, and cupped his face, leaning even closer. Her fingers caressed his cheek. "I'm sorry all this happened to you, I really am," she whispered sadly. She leaned forward and kissed him on the forehead. "But I still love you." She let go of him and stood.

Sands fumbled for his sunglasses before slipping them on, while that nasty little voice spoke up once again. "HA! Told you so, fucker! NOW GO AFTER HER!" He heard the door close and scrambled to his feet, tossing his cigarette over the railing. Turning, he huried back up the stairs and through the door. He just heard his apartment door open when he got inside and sprinted down the hall to catch up with her.

* * *

He caught her just inside the door, taking her arm and shutting the door with his other hand. She didn't pull back, and as Sands leaned back against the door, turning the lock on the knob, he pulled her to him. His arm snaked around her waist, drawing her as close as possible and when he let go of the door knob, he wrapped his other arm around her as well. She leaned against him, her hands on his chest.

"Haven't we been here before?" he asked with a grin.

She looked up at him, "Yes, we have..." she said softly. He ran his hands up her back and slipped them under her T-shirt, undoing her bra. "Moving fast, Sands?" He kissed her hard and passionate. "Shelly," he growled in protest of the nickname through the kiss.

Cerise gave in, moving her hands up slowly to wrap around his neck as her bra went free. She kissed him back and he moved forward, causing her to step back, and they stumbled through the room. Their kissing became more fervent as they stumbled, hands yanking at each other's clothes. He tossed away her blouse and bra as she ran into the coffee table.

She fumbled with the buttons of his shirt as she tried to keep herself from falling backwards, and popped off the top half of the buttons to rid him of the garment as she tumbled. Sands turned her and they hit the floor between the coffee table and the couch. He kissed her breasts as he moved downward, setting to work on her jeans. She kicked off her sandals and ran her hands up his back as he kissed her stomach, pulling the zipper of her jeans down with his teeth.

He grasped a hold of the jeans and began tugging them off. Freeing her of her jeans he paused to kiss her lightly on a knee and got a sharp intake of breath from her in response. He knew she was ticklish on the knees. He grabbed her panties as she sat up slightly, weight on her elbows. Once he got those off, he eased her back down, slipping a hand between her legs. She gasped as he slipped two fingers in side of her, his thumb circling around her clit. She gasped and bucked against his hand, twisting on the floor. Sands grinned maliciously as he felt her growing moist.

"Been awhile, hasn't it?" he whispered in her ear as he bent over her, kissing her neck.

"Sheldon..." she whimpered, fingernails digging into the carpet. He continued to rub her, stopping only once to wet his finger and began the assault afresh. He drove her towards climax and she whimpered and moaned in pleasure.

"Sheldon!" she gasped, arching as the wave broke over her, eyes opening.  
  
He pulled back and quickly removed his sweat pants and boxers, moving her legs apart. Then he slipped over her, sliding into her fully. Bracing himself with his body over the top of her, he started the rhythm, moving the hair from her face with his fingers.

It had been a long time since they'd shared a bed together, made love or slept in each other's arms, and God, how he'd missed her. He'd missed her scent, her touch, her soft breath. He'd missed watching her sleep against him. He missed watching her eyes on him when they worked, and he suddenly frowned internally, his mind screaming. He'd never see any of those things again! But at least she was there with him, now and in this moment, and he was going to hold on as long as he could to her.  
  
The climax hit them at the same time and Sands' body went ridged as she tightened around him. He didn't pull himself out until her body released him for good, and he collapsed on the floor next to her panting and listening to her catch her own breath. He leaned over and kissed the hollow of her collar bone, laying his head on her shoulder.

She wrapped her arms around him, drawing him to her as her breathing steadied. He took in her scent deeply, a mix of roses, and the sweat from loving making. He reached up with one hand and ran his fingers through her hair.

"I love you, Cerise, so much," he whispered in her ear desperately.

"Shh... I know..." she said softly. His other hand slid beneath her to run over the faint scars that covered her back. They just stayed like that, lying in the dark, listening to the clock in the study, not wanting to break the moment. They both knew that breaking the moment would thrust them back into their whole mess.

* * *

She'd just finished bandaging up his arm. They were sitting on the couch, with streams of early morning light floating through the window, in nothing but their underwear.

She cut the tape and dropped it on the table, patting his arm gently as she leaned back against the couch. She was tired. Sands slipped an arm around her shoulders and drew her to him. She lay her head on his shoulder, with a sigh. "You should sleep," Sands said, exhausted himself.

"And you shouldn't?" Cerise mumbled.

Sands grinned slightly, leaning his head back. Cerise shut her eyes, still leaning against him, and yawned.

"How long will she sleep?" he asked, nodding towards the bedroom.

"Probably util around eleven, since she was moved around so much last night," Cerise said, stretching out her legs and turning herself slightly, so she lay against him again.

Sands ran his fingers up and down her arm. It wasn't long before the both of them fell asleep.


	11. Losing the Game

Authors Note: Nice to see you girls are still with me after the last chapter... Alas, it gets worse. sigh Thanks for the great reviews girls!

Thanks to Scarlett for the beta-ing, keeps me going. ;)

Disclaimer: I don't own Sheldon Jeffrey Sands or any other characters from Once Upon A Time In Mexico, they belong to their respected creators. I jsut let them come and play. And nor do I own anything to do with Queen. Long Live Freddie Mecury!

* * *

Cerise came to with a jolt, someone was pounding on the door. Sands was still fast asleep. They'd somehow moved together until they were both stretched out on the large couch, Cerise still curled up against him. She listened to the pounding a moment, then silently crawled over him, grabbing his shirt. Buttoning the few buttons left intact from the night before, she moved towards the door. His shirt hung down past her thighs and was open enough to show her bra. Her hair was a complete mess, coming lose from her braid.

She undid the locks, but left the security chain hooked and opened the door. Sarah was standing in the hall, smoking down a cigarette, looking impatient. "Open the door, Cerise," Sarah said upon seeing the other woman's face. "There's trouble."

Cerise sighed and shut the door, removing the chain. Then she opened the door again. Sarah entered the apartment and looked at Sands, then back Cerise. Cerise nodded to the kitchen and she and Sarah went inside. "What's going on?" Cerise asked her softly.

"Well, the security officers are all over the hospital, they're looking for Jeff, and they want to know what happened last night."

"Simple, someone tried to kill Sheldon," Cerise said.

"They've questioned me, they want to question Jeff and they want to question you."

Cerise opened the fridge and looked at the contents. She took out a bottle of water and opened it, shaking her head at the bag of half rotten limes and glass bottle of tequila.

"What do we do, Cerise?" Sarah asked, watching her.

"They won't arrest Sheldon on self defense. It was self defense."

Sarah sighed. "If they think..."

"I was a witness." Cerise insisted quietly. She heard moving around in the living room and stepped back a bit, looking in. Sands was sitting up on the couch listening to them.

"Listen Ce," Sarah said, leaning on the counter. "You know I love you like a sister... and if truth be known, I love Jeff as a brother..." Cerise grinned slightly, listening to Sands get up from the couch. "I just mean.... six years working with you all... I'm always going to be on yours and Jeff's side."  
  
"Well, that's nice to know," Sands said, standing in the doorway. Sarah jumped with a yelp and turned, looking at him. She raised an eyebrow, taking him in completely. He was in his light blue boxers with sunglasses covering his eyes.

"How much have you heard?" Sarah asked.

"All of it," Sands replied, moving past them to the fridge. He opened it and reached in, but didn't find his bottle of water. Cerise shook her head and handed the bottle to him, letting it touch his arm. He felt the cold and took the bottle, opening it.

"So then..." Sarah said softly. "I told the security officers what I could..." she muttered.

"Thanks, Sarah." Sands replied, setting the bottled water down on the counter. The three were quiet a moment. "Look," Sands said finally. "We've got to have a plan.."

"Yes..." Cerise said, wrapping her arms around one of his, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"I've got Sammy processing the micro film." Sarah said. Cerise nodded, letting go of Sands.

"Micro film?" Sands questioned, turning his head towards Cerise, an eyebrow raised.

Cerise shot Sarah a look, but said, "I told you that I sent Sarah on an errand... that would be what the micro film is..."

Sands shook his head. "Glad to know you're doing all this without me." He mumbled. Cerise didn't answer. She couldn't form the words.

Sarah sighed. "We just... you've been through enough, Jeff."  
  
Sands slammed the bottle of water down on the counter. "Fuck you, Sarah! This is my fucking life you're playing with!"

"We're not playing!" Sarah retorted angrily.  
  
"No, then what the fuck are you doing, cause you're not helping me!"  
  
"Oh, you ungrateful bastard!" Sarah shot back.  
  
"Go to hell!" Sands spat back.  
  
"You first!"  
  
"ENOUGH!" Cerise snapped loudly, she was standing against a counter, rubbing her temple. "Enough, both of you."

Sands was gripping the counter tightly, biting his tongue to keep from retorting. "Sheldon, we had our reasons for not telling you of our actions. And Sarah's right, it was for your own good." Sands said nothing and left the kitchen. Sarah and Cerise watched him go, with out a word.

* * *

Sarah departed from the apartment a few minutes later. Cerise closed and locked the door again with a sigh. She guessed that Sands was in the bedroom. Picking the clothes up off the floor, she walked back through the hallway to the master bedroom. She stopped in the doorway, leaning against the frame. Sands turned his head slightly in. He was lounging on the bed, with Lily curled up against him, his head propped up by an elbow.

"Just so you know..." Cerise said softly, taking the clothes over to the hamper. "Sarah's gone."

"So?" Sands muttered, running his fingers through Lily's hair. Cerise watched this as she moved towards the bed slowly. "I wish you'd stop being such a bastard." She sighed.

Sands snorted. "You know me so well," he said sarcastically.

Cerise rolled her eyes. "Shelly..." She sat down on the edge of the bed.

"What?" he asked tonelessly.

"I wish you'd understand that what Sarah and I did was for your own good."

"So you've said." He said bitterly. She didn't say anything after that. After a few minutes, she got up, intending to go back into the living room, when Sands grabbed her hand, pulling her back towards him.

He turned slightly as if looking up at her. "I realize, you're just trying to help, sweets, but I'm not that helpless." He said strongly.

Cerise sighed, "All right, Sheldon."  
  
"No, I don't think it is all right because I don't think you get what I'm trying to tell you. I don't need to be coddled like some fucking baby." Sands stated.  
  
Cerise growled, rolling her eyes. "If I was treating you like a fucking baby, I wouldn't have told you ANYTHING. You know me by now."  
  
Sands was about to reply when he heard a whimper next to him. Lily was waking up. She first looked at Cerise, then at Sands and cuddled closer to him. Sands snapped his mouth shut and wrapped an arm around Lily. "We'll finish later," he muttered. Cerise didn't answer.

* * *

Lily was sitting on the floor of the living room, playing with her dolls by mid-afternoon. Cerise was sitting cross-legged on the couch, watching her. She had a clear view of Sands, who was sitting on the bed, deep in thought. She watched out of the corner of her eyes. Sands got up from the bed and moved towards the balcony, taking a cigarette from the pack he'd had with him last night. She heard him pause, and then a moment later, the balcony door opened, letting a stream of sunlight into the bedroom.  
  
Cerise sat back on the couch with a sigh, head tilted and watching Lily when she heard the soft sounds of a guitar. Leaning forward, she could hardly believe he'd picked it up again. Listening, she finally gave in and got up. Walking softly through the hall to the bedroom, she heard him singing the lyrics softly while he played.  
  
_"Who dares to love forever?  
When love must die.  
But touch my tears with your lips,  
Touch my world with your fingertips.  
And we can have forever.  
And we can love forever."_  
  
As things had happened three years ago, she moved out onto the balcony, sitting down in the chair opposite him, watching, and not saying a word. It wasn't until Sands finished the song that he turned his head towards her.

"Sheldon," She started timidly. "I'm sorry for not telling you what Sarah and I were up to. I promise in the future to fill you in completely."

Sands let a contemplating look slip over his face. "Well," he drawled. "I don't know if I can forgive you."

She kicked him in the shine. "Ass!"

He grinned a crooked grin. "Scouts honor?"

"I was never in girl scouts."

"Figurative...." He said in a singsong tone.

"All right, all right. Scouts honor!" she snapped.  
  
She was about to say something else, when Sands turned his head towards the apartment. He was putting down the guitar and pulled a concealed snub nosed 9 from under the lounger. He knew he'd heard the door close softly, but Lily couldn't POSSIBLY have undone the locks. He strained his hearing, and it was when he heard the clatter of one of Lily's toys on the coffee table that he got up. Cerise wasn't far behind him.

When they reached the front room, Cerise gasped. Sands had a sickening feeling what it was and he was already moving towards the front door, a hand out to feel it. He stood in the doorway, straining. He heard footsteps on the front steps, running down and taking off through the hall. He heard Cerise behind him and they took the steps two at a time, coming out into the parking lot in time to hear a car screeching away. Sands opened fire but it was useless. "Was..." Sands started to ask, swallowing. 

"She was in the back seat...it was a black SUV with no plates.." Cerise breathed in defeat, crumpling onto the stairs.  
  
"**FUCK!" **Sands shouted, throwing up his arms in anger and failure. "Fuck, fuck fuck!" He heard a stifled sob come from Cerise and moved back to the stairs, sitting down next to her.

"I always knew something like this was going to happen, that's why I wanted out!" Cerise sniffled.

Sands wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer and kissed the top of her head. "We'll find her," he promised gravely. "We'll find her... I'll find her."

Cerise turned her head, burying her face in Sands' shirt, and cried. Sands just held her, not knowing what else to do.


	12. Plans

Authors Note: Thanks for the reviews girls! :)  
Thanks Scarlett for the beta-ing. ;)

Disclaimer: Sheldon Jeffrey Sands does not belong to me, nor do any other characters from Once Upon A Time In Mexico, they belong to thier respected creators. I just let them come and wreck havok...alot.

* * *

Cerise had called Sarah, so when the knock came on the door they'd expected it to be Sarah. Instead, three men in black suits and sunglasses stood there. All three flashed their badges. "Officer Sands, Officer Stone. We've got a few questions to ask you."

Sands swore vulgarly. "You know, we're a bit busy here... our daughter being kidnapped and all.."

The three officers looked at each other. The first one, the taller one, took off his glasses and Cerise didn't hide the gasp.

"Sammy!?" She peered at the man she'd worked with in the past.

Sammy gave her a sympathetic smile. "Hey Stone, long time no see."

"Iokie! You're a goddamn security officer?!" Sands snapped.

"Yes... Sarah didn't tell you?"

"No, Sarah didn't tell us!" Sands fought to keep his voice level, but it slipped a pitch.  
  
Sammy frowned and turned to Cerise, who shook her head. "How odd..." Sammy mumbled. "You say Lily was kidnapped?"

"Yes... about thirty minutes ago..." Cerise muttered, wrapping her arms around her stomach. She felt sick just thinking about it.

Sammy glanced at one of the officers. "Make a note of it." He turned to Cerise. "We'll take care of it. Do you think it had anything to do with last night?"

"Of course it did," Sands interjected. "Someone doesn't try to kill you for no fucking reason."  
  
"Officer Sands, can you think of any reason why someone would want to terminate you?"  
  
Sands snorted.  
  
"I'll take that as a no..." Sammy muttered.  
  
"That was a yes," Sands corrected. "But you're not privy to the information."  
  
"Officer Sands, we're not here to accuse you of anything, we're here to help." Sammy said in their defense.  
  
"Fine fucking job you're doing." Sands replied tartly.

Sammy bristled. "I can see we're not going to get anything out of you. It's my duty to inform you, that until you're debriefed for the operation in Culiacan, you're temporary suspended of action."

Sands went ridged. "Are you fucking serious? Who ordered it?!" Sands demanded.

"The DDO," Sammy answered simply before turning to Cerise. "As for you, Officer Stone, you're ordered to appear tomorrow for debriefing on the operation in Mexico City." Cerise managed a nod at least. "Is there anything else either of you are willing tell us?" Sammy asked.

"Not a damn fucking thing," Sands replied, lighting a cigarette.

Sammy sighed deeply. "All right Jeff, be this way."

"I will be," Sands said with satisfied grin on his face. He turned from the group and walked across the room, to his stereo and turned it on. Dion and the Belmonts played _The Wanderer _and Sands moved back to the couch and flopped down, tapping the ashes off this cigarette in a ashtray he knew was directly in front of him.

Cerise looked at Sammy and offered a tired smile. They both knew that was all they would get out of Sands, even if they pressed him.

Sammy sighed again and turned to Cerise. He took her hand. "Don't worry about Lily, Cee, I'll do everything in my power to find her."

"It's kind of hard NOT to worry, Sammy... especially since she's my baby girl," Cerise whispered.

Sammy nodded. He had an adopted son who was six. "I know, if I lost Richard, I'd feel the same way."

"Yeah..." Cerise muttered.

"All right Cee. I'll stay in contact, and I'll see you tomorrow?" She nodded again. Sammy nodded once and turned to the other officers, motioning for them to back out the door. Sammy stopped in the doorway, turning to face the couch. "Jeff...take care, eh?"

"Oh, I'll definitely try," Sands replied scathingly. Cerise waved Sammy to go and shut the door after he left.  
  
"I'm leaving for Mexico in the morning," Sands said when the door was shut.

Cerise blinked. "What?" She turned and looked at him.

"I didn't stutter." She walked back towards the couch.

"Sheldon... why Mexico?"

"It's where this whole business began, and it's where it ends. I'll bet you anything that that's where they've taken Lily."

Cerise sat on the coffee table and looked at him. He exhaled the smoke of his cigarette slowly, snubbing it out in the ashtray next to her as he leaned forward.

He took her hand. "I don't expect you to come with me..." he said softly. She struggled to reply.

"Shelly... do you have any idea... how dangerous?"

He gave her an irritated look. "I know how dangerous it'll be. Have a little more faith in me, Cherry. I'm still a dangerous man."

The smile he tossed her made her shudder involuntarily. "I believe it."

"Like I said, I don't expect you to come," Sands replied.

"I... they want to debrief me tomorrow... I..."

Sands sighed, letting go of her hand and getting up.  
  
What had he expected? She was far more cautious then he was. But this was their daughter they were talking about.

"How are you going to find her, Sheldon?" Cerise whispered.

"I've got my contacts. I'll find her," he said, moving into the kitchen. Cerise followed, and watched as he took a shot glass down for the cupboard and the bottle of tequila out of the fridge.

"Maybe...you can get a hold of Rick... he's still down in Mexico.."

"Dupre? I don't trust him as far as I can throw him."

"But still..."

He heard the desperation in her voice, the trace of tears. He said nothing for a moment, throwing back the shot and leaving the glass on the counter with the bottle when he heard her soft sobs.  
  
He reached out and took her arm, pulling her to him, and wrapping his arms around her, comforting her. Cerise gave in, flinging her arms around his neck, and crying into his shirt. "I want her back, Sheldon! I want her in my arms, I want her safe!" she cried.

"Shh...I 'll get her back. It'll be alright." He ran his fingers through her hair, kissing her forehead. "I promise, Cerise, I won't let anything bad happen."

She managed to nod through her tears. She was so exhausted. Sands could feel this. So he slipped his other arm under her legs and scooped her up. Not like it was hard. She was petite; small and light. She squeaked in protest, but he didn't reply, carrying her towards the bedroom. He placed her gently on the bed, stretching out bedside her and stroking her hair. Her sobs quieted and she cried softly.

"Shh baby," Sands cooed in her ear, kissing her neck. He pulled her to him, holding her. She eventually cried herself to sleep.

* * *

He didn't move until someone else knocked on the door. There was no way Cerise would wake now, so he pulled the comforter over her and got up. Pushing up the sunglasses that had slid down his nose, he went back into the living room, slipping his hand in to the drawer of the table by the door as he undid the lock.

"It's me, Jeff," Sarah said as he opened the door slowly. Sands shrugged and opened the door all the way, closing the table drawer, leaving the gun in it.

Sarah closed the door as she entered "Where's Cerise?"

"Sleeping," Sands said simply, moving away from the door. Sarah sighed and followed him. This was her first mistake. Sands grabbed her arm, pinning her to wall, the blade of the pocket knife to her neck, freezing her. "If you wake Cerise up, I'll make you bleed," Sands hissed her in ear.

Sarah swallowed. "Jeff..." she whimpered timidly.

"The security officers were here, Sarah. And one of them was our old friend Iokie. Now," he pressed the blade a little more. "Something occurred to me, darlin'. You didn't TELL us Iokie was a security officer."

"Jeff," she swallowed, positive she felt blood pricking her neck.

"You know, my trust right now... really is thin," he drawled. "So, if I were you, I'd start talking fast and honest, otherwise..."

Sarah whimpered. Sands wouldn't kill her, surely not. But then the question of his sanity had been weighing on her mind since Mexico "Jeff, please, I didn't know you didn't know Sammy was a security officer. When he left the team, after... after Paris, he took a security position!" she said desperately. Sands listened to her tone, making his decision.  
  
Relaxing his arm, he let her go, closing the butterfly knife with a swift movement. He moved around the living room. Finally, he turned to Sarah when he was near the hallway. "Sarah, this is my daughter's life on the line. I won't tolerate being left in the dark," he sneered.

"Jeff, I'm not leaving you in the dark," she pleaded.

Sands tilted his head. "The thing is, if I find out otherwise, I'll put a bullet in your brain... I don't care HOW close you are to Cerise."

Sarah sighed. "Sands, you've got to trust me. You've got to know by now that you can!" she nearly screamed.

"Lower your fucking voice!" Sands snapped hotly.

Sarah crossed her arms over her chest, glaring. "You know, I don't give a damn anymore, Sands. I came here to offer my help to Cerise. YOU can go to hell."

"You know, I'm thinking of buying a summer home there. The brimstone is very nice this time of year."  
  
"You're going to miss me when you don't have me on your side," Sarah stated, as she headed for the door.  
  
"How can I miss you if you won't go away!?" Sands replied in a mock whine.  
  
"Fucking bastard!" Sarah snapped.

"Love you too!" he replied as he heard the door slam. He groaned and turned for the bedroom. Entering it, he went over to Cerise's bag and dug around in it until he found her cell phone, listening to her sleeping in bed. Then he went out onto the balcony he dialed a long distance number.

* * *

She woke up hearing him move around the bedroom, packing. She lay there watching him stuff some clothes in a bag. Sands felt her eyes on him. So when he finished packing, he left his bag by the bedroom door and walked over to the bed, sitting down on the edge next to her. "I'm leaving at six in the morning," he said softly.

"For Mexico," she finished.

"I'll contact you as soon as I get there," he replied.

Cerise didn't say anything for a moment. Then she took his hand. "Sheldon, be careful, please?!"

"Aren't I always babe?" he asked with a grin. When she didn't reply, he sighed. "I'll be careful."

"Thank you, Sheldon."

He leaned over and kissed her lightly. "Go back to sleep. It's late."


	13. Mexico

Authors Note: To answer your question Casey, I'm OBSESSED with S's. ;) Except Sands already had his name..  
Thanks to my loyal reviews, very muches. Hugs to all  
  
Thanks to Scarlett for beta-ing, especially this chapter.... tsk tsk, Sands....  
  
Ahem cough Warning to..adult cicrumstances near end of chapter.

* * *

When she woke up, he was gone. She lay there, looking at the sunlight streaming through the curtains. The clock on the bedside table read 7:36 am. She started off wondering if he was in Mexico yet, and ended up thinking of Lily, which led her to sobbing into the pillow. After crying herself out, she remembered the debrief and vigorously cursed the agency she worked for. She dragged herself out of bed and got dressed, grabbing a pair of jeans and one of Sands' black dress shirts. She wasn't going to apologize to anyone for her bad mood.  
  
She reached the building around nine and was met by Sarah in the hall.

"I suppose Sands didn't tell you I was by last night."

Cerise shook her head, noting Sarah's tone about Sands. "We had... other things on our mind, Sarah."

Sarah snorted. "Look Cerise, I'm sorry about Lily, I really, really am, but I can't put up with Sands' attitude."

"I understand Sarah," Cerise said softly.

"Who's debriefing me?"

"Tim Foley."

"Oh you're bloody well kidding me!"  
  
"Nope, sorry. Sammy wants to see you after you're done though," Sarah said. Cerise nodded and headed down the hall.

When she got out, she was in an even fouler mood then when she'd gone in. She headed down the stairs to Sammy's department. 

He turned on her approach and smiled. "Hey Cee, how you holdin' up?"

"How does it look like I'm holding up?" She replied tartly.

Sammy just continued to smile slightly. "Jeff?"

"He has... some business to attend to," she said simply.  
  
Sammy was about to reply, when his phone rang. "Just a sec, Cee." He turned and picked up the black receiver. He frowned deeply and turned to Cerise. "It's for you."

"What?" She didn't mask her puzzlement.

"I don't know who it is, but they want to speak to you." Cerise took the phone, stepping closer to the desk.  
  
"Buenos días Officer Stone," a hollow voice said. Cerise stiffened. "This is Mexico calling," the voice continued. "We'd like to inform you that your daughter is safe and sound at the moment, but if you don't deliver Agent Sands, that could change."

Cerise's hand tightened on the receiver. "Who the fuck is this?" she breathed, but was met by a click as the caller hung up. Slamming the phone down hard, she swore.

"Everything alright?" Sammy asked.

"No," Cerise stated, turning on her heel and quickly leaving the room.

* * *

The sun was unbearable today. And the heat was dry and relentless. Sands groaned as he moved down the far to familiar street towards the restaurant. He was in need of information and knew of someone who could give it to him. He was dressed in a pair of jeans with a black T-shirt that had bold red letters spelling out _SINNER. _He grinned, amused at the thought. Wasn't that the truth.  
  
Two steps ahead was teenage boy. Sands had clearly stated at the airport that the kid was no more then his seeing eye dog, but that didn't stop the brat from running his mouth.

"You know, I don't know why I have to do this... why Uncle Franky had to send ME!"

"Because your Uncle Franky owes me, big time," Sands replied flatly.

"Yeah, but I'm not... used to this kind of work, I mean, just out of high school and all."

"Brat, shut up."  
  
"I have a name, thank you."  
  
"Yeah, what?"  
  
"Charles."  
  
"Well, Chuck, you're one step away from getting shot in the balls, so zip it!" He heard the kid gulp and grinned, satisfied.  
  
They continued walking, when Charles interrupted Sands' thoughts once again.

"We're at the restaurant."

"Good, you wait here," Sands said, moving past the kid before stopping. "And do us a favor, try not to do anything, stupid." The kid gave him a nasty look that Sands seemed to sense, not that Sands gave a damn. Sands turned around and went into the dark restaurant.  
  
He managed to find a empty table and sit down, listening to the voices surrounding him.

A few moments later, he heard a pair of heels moving towards him and a woman's sultry voice, English in heavily accented Spanish. "Well, long time no see, Handsome."

Sands turned his head and flashed the girl his most charming smile. The one that usually got Cerise to agree to anything. "Aww, you know me Rosa. Couldn't stay away forever." He heard her slip into the seat opposite of him.

"I've missed you," she pouted.

"Ah well, you know sugar-butt... business and all," he said, still grinning.  
  
She leaned forward, reaching out to take his sunglasses. "Why don't you take off the sunglasses and let me get a look at those gorgeous eyes of yours?"

Sands recoiled, leaning back. "Sorry sweets, migraine, don't feel like handling the light," he lied.

She pouted. "You're always being mean, Sands."

He leaned forward, knowing she wouldn't try to remove the sunglasses again. "What say you, we slip out into the back alley and get reacquainted?"

Rosa glanced around the room. It was a slow day, and no one would miss her for a little while. "Alright," she cooed, getting up. Sands followed. She led him through the kitchen, not for the first time, through the back door into the dark, deserted alley.  
  
She was a woman about Sands' height, even without the heels. A slim waist, generous chest and a pretty face. But it was her connection to the city's underground that had caused Sands to seduce her six months ago, and she still proved to be a valuable contact, loyal to Sands for his prowess in bed.  
  
She slammed him against the brick wall, kissing him hard, hands groping him. He pulled at her blouse, baring her breasts. He wasn't surprised she wasn't wearing a bra. His fingers kneaded her tan breasts as her hands worked their way down.

She pulled back from kissing him and dropped to her knees before him, unzipping his pants and slipping her hands inside. Sands groaned, leaning his head back as her fingers closed around him and pulled him free from the jeans. He moaned deeply as her lips closed around the tip of his manhood. Her fingers running up and down his lengths as her tongue played over his tip.  
  
"Rosa," He growled, trying not to get caught up in the pleasure. "This is NOT what I had in mind." He heard her purr in response and had a clear image of her face in his mind's eye. She drove him towards climax, and he had no choice but to give in. He sank against the brick as he did so and she swallowed all of him.  
  
When she was finished, she zipped him back up and wiped the corner of her mouth off with the back of her hand, running it over the side of her skirt. She stood, grinning. Sands lowered his head, as if looking at her, breathing hard.

"Now, what can I do for you, handsome?" She asked coyly.

"I need some information, darlin'."

"When don't you?"

"This time it's serious," he stated.

"And how's that?" she asked, tilting her head.

He paused a moment, then spoke. "I'm on a rescue operation, and you're not privy to the rest of the information. Savvy?"

"Aww... fine," she grumbled.

"Just get me information on any... illegal activities in the city."

She laughed. "There's ALWAYS illegal activities."

"Just do it Rosa. You'll be paid, per usual." Sands turned towards the door and moved through it, leaving her standing there.

* * *

He collapsed on his motel bed as the sun set. He was too exhausted for his mind to form the next plan of action, but he couldn't his next move anyway Rosa delivered her information. Then, it was off to employ the one man that would give Sands the edge he needed. The problem was how to convince the rat to do it. But he'd work on that later.  
  
Rolling over, he picked up his new cell phone and hit speed dial. He listened to the rings of Cerise's phone, but when there was no answer, he frowned. Where the blast was she!? Unless she had it turned of, she never went anywhere without it. He shut off his phone and lay there. He'd try again in a bit. At the moment, he wanted to grab a nap. He let himself drift towards sleep, his body relaxing.


	14. Get's Serious

Authors Notes: Figured you girls would like two chapters. ;) Try not to kill him for the last chapter, eh?

Thanks Scarlett for the beta-ing.

* * *

By nine she was on the plane, sinking lower in her seat. She'd had to turn off her cell phone and was sure Sands had tried to call her by now. Hopefully, his number was in her database. Not that she didn't know exactly where he was. She had a good idea anyway.

She closed her eyes, trying to relax. Things had gone from bad to worse overnight, and Cerise saw no stopping it. She wasn't sure she'd make it much longer without having a complete breakdown. Never mind that Sands seemed to be on the road already. She didn't blame him in the least for his actions as of late, but the only thing she could do was stand by him and remind him she was still on his side. She was one of the few people who knew his secrets, and his sins, and still gave a damn.  
  
She leaned her forehead against the window pane and tried to figure out what the next plan of action was. She guess Sands would tell her. Then she mused silently about what he'd think of the fact that she'd followed him to Mexico. Not that she was left with much choice, but she supposed on the one side it was a better idea for her to be there in Mexico with him.

* * *

By the next afternoon the sun was riding high as she moved down the street, she finally found out where he'd be from a former 'friend', Franky. Meeting up like this would be interesting, to say the least. But it was better then calling, she figured... at least in her opinion. She liked to surprise him.

She walked into the restaurant and her eyes fell on his table at once. There was a young woman standing behind him, her arms wrapped around his neck and leaning into him. She wasn't surprised. A little annoyed, but not surprised. She walked towards the table, not speaking until she was standing directly in front of them. By that time, both of them had turned their heads in her direction. "Contact, Sands?" Cerise asked in a blank tone.  
  
Sands felt the desire to blink as he heard Cerise's voice. He shoved the surprise back from his tone and replied slowly, "You could say that, Stone." He offered her a grin but her response was pulling out the chair in front of him.

Rosa had eased back, obviously feeling that Cerise was a threat. Cerise liked that, it gave her an edge. Cerise leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms over her stomach and giving the young woman a patronizing smile. "Hey, sweets," Cerise said to the waitress, "Why don't you leave us alone for a while? We've got to conduct some business."

The girl actually turned to Sands for his say. Sands sighed mockingly and waved her off. "Later sugar lips."

Rosa huffed and turned on her heels, walking away. Sands didn't speak until he knew she was gone for good.  
  
Then he leaned over the table, speaking lowly. "What are you doing here Cerise."

"Backing you up," she replied, taking a mini recorder out of her pocket. She slammed it down on the table and hit the play button. What he heard was the phone call she'd received.

When it finished, he sat back, "Well," he said dryly. "They're quiet serious, aren't they?"

"Yes," Cerise muttered softly, looking around the room.

"So is this why I couldn't get a hold of you last night?"

"Yeah," she nodded. "I was on a plane. I left as soon as I could manage," she told him, spotting Charlie looking through the window at them. "Who's the kid?" She turned back to him.

"Franky's nephew, he's playing seeing eye dog," Sands grinned. "Might just get rid of him now that you're here." He gestured it off.

She sighed and sat back in her chair, eyes on the table. She really didn't have anything to say, she was too drained.

"Let's get out of here, Cherry." Sands said, standing. He moved around the table and held out a hand. Cerise sighed and grabbed the recorder, taking his hand and standing.

Rosa watched as the two left the restaurant, Sands' arm around Cerise's waist. Rosa glared. That was the last straw, she turned to her friend now for revenge.  
  
They met Charlie outside. "Who's this?" he asked, looking over Cerise.

"Does it matter?"

"You think it's wise to be running around with women?"  
  
"Kid, do you wanna get shot?"  
  
Charlie shut up, mumbling a "no".

"Then keep your mouth shut," Sands commanded.

Cerise shook her head, hiding a grin. With a moan, Charlie turned and headed down the street in the direction of the hotel. Sands and Cerise followed him at their own pace, Sands' arm never leaving Cerise's waist as they leaned on each other, both exhausted, mentally and physically.

* * *

They tumbled through his motel room door. By the time they'd hit the wood lined hall, Cerise couldn't keep her hands off of Sands. "You know, the whole bad ass black ensemble is really a turn on," she teased him, running her hands through his hair as he slammed the door shut with his foot.

He tossed her a sexy grin, well aware that her tone was teasing. "That's why I perfected it, darlin'."

"I see, and the girl at the restaurant?" She toyed with unbuttoning his black shirt as she kissed his neck.

He drew in a sharp breath and groaned, sagging slightly. "Are you going to reprimand me for a little harmless flirting?"

She stopped kissing his neck and looked up at him, fingers curled around the collar of his shirt. "Harmless flirting, Officer Sands, I'm afraid I know you better then THAT."

He gave a sheepish grin in way of a reply and grabbed her by the waist, slipping his fingers under her shirt to dig into her side. She squirmed, ticklish. "No matter how many waitresses I've shagged in the last three years, I still love you." She pinched him in the shoulder and pulled away from him.  
  
"Cheap shot, buster," she replied, moving towards the bed, pulling off her blue T-shirt as she went. Sands groaned again, dropping his head. "What do I have to do to get back on your good side? Get on my hands and knees and beg?" he asked, turning the lock on the door and moving forward.

"You may end up on your hands and knees," she replied, glancing over her shoulder. She stopped at the bed, waiting for him with her back to him. "Oh, come 'ear wench!" He knocked the chair in front him out of the way and grabbed her by the waist.  
  
He kissed her neck, slipping his hands under her sports bra, cupping her breasts a moment before pulling the bra off and tossing it behind him. He ran his hands over her stomach, fingers lightly tracing the flesh. She shivered, leaning her head back, and he captured her lips, kissing her hard. His fingers found the button and zipper of her jeans, and he undid them, sliding them down her waist, taking her panties with them. He planted a trail of kisses down her spine, pausing at the small of her back to leave an especially lingering hot kiss there.  
  
She kicked off the jeans and knickers and turned. He laid her out on the bed, his hands traveling from her feet to her thighs, his whole body following the movement as he was on top of her. A hand pulled the elastic out of her long hair, before running gently over her shoulder. She began unbuttoning his shirt. She yanked the shirt off his shoulders and ran her hands over his lean chest. She leaned forward and kissed his shoulder.

Sands ran his hands down her waist and took her firmly. Turning her over beneath him, he kneeled on the bed, straddling her body. She lay on her stomach, arms tucked under her head, letting him do what he wanted. He ran his hands slowly over her back, caressing ever scar, feeling her shudder under his touch. He grinned crookedly and leaned down, taking his time to kiss and lick each one.

She whimpered, wiggling beneath him and when he'd reached the scar on her neck, he turned her over again, kissing her throat and working his way down. She reached up and undid his belt, pulling it from his slacks. She slung it around his neck when he leaned back and drew him close to her, kissing him roughly. He returned the kiss, removing the belt from his neck and tossing it to the floor, one hand helping her undue his pants. She pushed the pants and his boxers past his hips.

"Need something?" he whispered her in her ear.

"Don't be so fucking cruel!" she hissed, as he slid a hand down her stomach, causing it to turn.

"I've always been cruel," he replied smoothly, sliding down the bed with his hand. He slipped off the foot, pulling her with him by her ankles, bringing her hips to the end of the bed, before discarding his pants and boxers.  
  
He ran his fingers up and down her legs, allowing his sense of touch to compensate for his lack of sight. He spread her legs apart, leaning forward and kissing her pelvic area. She gasped, leaning back into the bed. Holding her by her upper thighs, he leaned even closer and kissed her clit. She arched, drawing in a breath, her fingernails digging into the bedcover.

He licked lightly at her, feeling her squirm. Her breathing deepened and she twisted under him. He held her firmly to the bed, hands on her legs, his tongue lightly grazing over her entrance.

She moaned, fingers running through his hair. He smiled to himself, and slipped a finger into her. Massaging her core, he sucked on her clit, drawing forth another moan.

"Sheldon..." she moaned, biting her bottom lip.

"Yes?" He breathed on her. She looked up at him panting.  
  
He drove her towards climax and she arched, breathing hard, until the total sensations shattered her body, causing her to cry out. He didn't stop until she fell back onto the mattress. She lay there, spent, breathing hard and deep, eyes closed. He crawled up beside her, pulling her back onto the bed. She finally opened her eyes and looked at him.. "Any good?" he asked, grinning cockily.

"You have to ask?" she breathed, almost glaring.

"No..." he breathed.

"I didn't think so." She touched his face. He smiled and rolled over to lay on top of her. She wrapped her arms around his neck, looking up at him. He kissed her lips, her cheeks, her ears, breathing softly after each. She closed her eyes, just taking in his scent and staying in the moment. He pulled her closer to him, and felt her warmth radiate against his chest. They lay there for a long moment in the darkness of the room, in each other's arms.

He sat up a bit, and positioned her legs up to bend at the knee as he half-laid between them. She moved her legs enough to give him room. He buried his face in her hair, while he slowly pushed into her. She arched slightly, biting her lip to stifle the moan. He ran his thumb over her lips to stop her from biting it. "Don't you remember what I've said about biting your lip?"

"It's a hard habit to break," she breathed.

"I'm sure it is..." he said, holding himself deep within her.

"I'm breaking it..." she whimpered in protest.

"Good girl." He moved slowly out of her, and with the same speed, pushed back into her. She moaned, fingers digging into his back. He began his rhythm just as slowly as he'd started, anticipating her every reaction.

She withered in sheer, pleasurable agony. He whispered softly in her ear, "more?"

She nodded, swallowing. "Yes," she managed to get out.

He thrust in hard and deep moving faster. She gasped, arching sharper and as her fingers gripped his hair tightly.

He moaned and bit at her ear. She twisted under him, the climax nearing. Releasing his hair, she moved her fingers to his back. He keened, going faster. She cried out as the orgasm hit her, her nails biting into his shoulders. He moaned loudly, pulsing into her.

She dropped back onto the bed, gasping for air. He was breathing hard, not yet ready to leave her, enjoying her scent. She wrapped her arms around his neck, clinging to him. "I love you Cherry..." he breathed into her ear.

She breathed deeply, then replied. "I love you Sheldon, very much."

"I know..." he replied. He stretched out beside her, pulling her into his arms. She snuggled against him, eyes closed, and they both drifted off into an exhausted sleep.

* * *

_The explosion was enough to get his attention. He turned from the safe door, pulling the black ski mask off his head and slidding the AK-47 off his shoulder. _

_Sammy stood from his spot in front of the safe and turned. "Now what?!" Sammy snapped irritably. _

"_Just keep working on the fucking lock!" Sands snapped, moving down the hall. He rounded the corner at the sound of gunfire and came face to face with Rick. _

"_We've got serious fucking problems!" Rick shouted._

_Sands looked past him and saw the legion of soldiers. "You fucker, you were SUPPOSED to keep an eye for this shit." _

"_Yeah well, Sammy apparently tripped some kind of alarm." _

_Sands shoved the other man behind him and opened fire on the soldiers, dropping a few. _

_Rick ran back down the hall towards Sammy, leaving Sands to defend the three man party. One of the three remaining soldiers got too close as Sands discovered he was out of ammo. He lashed out with the butt of the gun, striking the man across the face, before shoving it into his gut. He pushed the man away from him as another solider swung his own gun. _

_Sands ducked the strike and came up, grabbing the man's arm and throwing him into the wall. He sent a kick to the man's spine, insuring he'd stay down before turned his attention to the other two soldiers. The first was recovering the from the blows he'd received courtesy his gun. He went after Sands with a large knife. Sands felt it graze his shoulder, but he grabbed the man's arm, jerking back sharp and hearing the joint dislodge as he kicked the man in the knees. _

_Shoving the man in his grasp away, he pivoted on one foot in a sharp roundhouse and broke the standing man's neck. _

_Grabbing a second gun from one of the fallen soldiers, he sprinted back towards the safe in time to see Sammy jerk open the large door. But it was in vain. A sharp alarm began blaring. Sands charged into the walk in safe, straight towards the back, and took a syringe of acid from Sammy, breaking the lock on the smaller lock box. Jerking it open, he grabbed the folder of papers from within and slipped it into his knapsack. _

_They heard yelling in the halls behind them, and all three of them searched for an escape. Sammy spotted the large vent grate. Rick pulled the safe door closed as a shower of bullets began to rain down on them. Sammy pulled the table over and took the grate off the vent before climbing inside. Rick followed. As leader, it was Sands' duty to insure his men got out alive, so he was the last to go through.  
  
"See the world, travel to exotic locations, have exciting adventures," Sands_ _mocked as he crawled along behind Sammy and Rick. _

"_I think the fucking Company should work on their slogan a little more!" _

_Sammy snorted from the front of the group. _

"_Aww, come on Jeff, you don't find this exciting?" Rick asked, glancing over his shoulder. _

"_Oh yes.... getting my ass shot at is an adrenaline rush." _

"_I always thought so." Sammy called from the front, turning left. "Wonder how the ladies are fairing?" _

_Sands snorted in reply to Sammy's question. "Probably got them on the run too." _

_They reached another grate and Sammy scanned the halls below before pushing the grate to the side and rolling out. Rick and Sands followed, all three looking up and down the halls for any sign of more problems.  
  
Another explosion to their left told them what they wanted to know. They turned right and ran for the staircase. Sands turned at the bottom and grabbed a frag from his belt, pulling the pin and tossing it down the hall. Then he turned and ran up the stairs, following the others.  
  
They came out on the roof of the Parisian building. "Oh, this just keeps getting better and better," Sands stated, looking over the edge of the roof to the Seine below them. _

"_Feel like a swim, old friend?" Sammy asked, clapping Sands on the back. Sands was about to answer when the sound of soldiers rushing up the stairs got their attention. Rick opened fire, but the soldiers answered with an equal assault. _

_Sammy shoved Sands behind an air condition duct, saving his comrade from being shot up. They leaned against it, listening to the assault, but when they heard Rick scream in pain, Sands tried to shove past Sammy to help. "NO! We can't help him now!" Someone had grabbed Rick, dragging him towards the stair. _

_Rick was still screaming in pain, shouts in French declaring they'd taken a prisoner. "Nous avoir pris un prisonnier!"_

"_We can't fucking leave him behind!" Sands screamed. _

"_And we can't help him! We're grossly outnumbered!" Sammy said, bringing logic into the situation. He shoved Sands towards the edge of the roof as another round of bullets began, and pushed Sands over, jumping after him. They plummeted into the cold water_

* * *

Sands came to with a rush of air from his lungs, feeling as if he'd plunged into deep water. He sat up, breathing deeply, sweat beading down his face. He ran his hand over his forehead and fought to slow his breathing.

By the cool breezing that was seeping through the half open window, he registered it must have been night. He felt a hand on his arm and jerked.

"Shelly?" Her soft voice brought it all home and he collapsed back, breathing hard. He felt her lean over him, a hand on his chest. "Where were you just now?" she asked softly, pushing the hair out of his face with her other hand.

"Paris." That was all he had to say. Out of all the operations he'd carried out in France, only one stood out.  
  
"Sheldon," she said gently. "That was never your fault."

He shook his head slightly. "Didn't matter, I was team leader, it was my duty to get them out alive."

"And you did your job.. you led the operation to retrieve Rick, and you got him out alive."

He strained a wry expression. "Just let it be, Red, I don't really wanna think about it."

"Alright," She muttered, nestling into him again.

"What time is it?" he asked her.

"After ten... you slept all evening."

"And you?"

"For awhile," she answered. He kissed her on the top of the head, wrapping his arm around her shoulders, but didn't answer.

* * *

Sammy tossed the cigarette away as he looked up at the exterior doors. Sarah came through and saw him lounging against the front of the pickup truck. She smiled and moved towards him, pulling her coat tighter, the December air chilling the night. A week till Christmas.

"Hello Sam," She said, stopping in front of him.

He looked up, blue eyes peering through black bangs. "Sarah."

"Waiting for me?"

"I'd wait a thousand years for you," Sammy replied. Sarah blushed. It was on and off again relationship, neither could let go of.  
  
"How's Richard?"

"Good." Sammy replied with a brisk nod, glancing at a car pulling out of the parking lot. "But that's not what I was waiting for you for."

"No, I didn't think it was," Sarah said softly, looking down at the snow at her feet.

"Where are they, Sarah?"

"Mexico," Sarah answered in a mere whisper.

Sammy swore. "Why?"

"That's where it all began," Sarah said, speaking Sands' own thoughts.

Sammy looked up at the dark night sky with it's snow tinted clouds, a slight orange from the street lights surrounded them. "You know what this means, don't you Sarah? Agent Sands was on temporary suspension."

Sarah nodded numbly. "He went AWOL... he'll be arrested for leaving the country on Terrorist charges..." She raised her head looking at Sammy. "He went to save his little girl! You can't blame him, Sammy!"

"I don't, but it'll be me who goes to retrieve him. I'll have to arrest Cerise for following him. This is serious, Sarah."

"Would you really arrest them for going after Lily? Sammy, you'd do the same if it was Richard."

Sammy sighed. She was more then right. He wouldn't arrest them, even if the Company threatened him. "But I'll still have to go down there..."

"Why? Can't you just let them do this!?" Sarah demanded.

Sammy looked at her, meeting her eyes. "Not alone. We don't abandon our own, remember?" Sarah smiled slowly. "What about you, Sarah?"

She sighed. After her argument with Sands, she'd had a lot of time to think. "I'll go with you," she said finally. "I can't leave Jeff's side. I didn't in Culiacan and I won't do so now."

"Good. We leave tomorrow. It'll be nice to get out of this snow."

She kicked it with her boot. "You're telling me."


	15. El

Authors Note: Much love to my reviewers! I know Sands has been a bad boy as of late...

Thanks to Scarlett for beta reading this and keeping me on this project. I'd have quiet by now if it wasn't for you girl!

* * *

Cerise sat back at the table in the motel room, a cup of coffee in front of her. "You want to go after El Marichi?"

She looked at Sands who was standing by the window. "Didn't that plan of using him LAST time backfire on you?"

"How do you know about that?" Sands asked, turning slightly in her direction, raising his own cup of coffee to his lips.

"I was privy to the knowledge, Slick," she replied. "Sarah was feeding it to me as I worked on my own operation. Thank you though, for riding certain...barriers on your end," she replied with a grin.

Sands shot her a dark frown for the use of the nickname. "It'll work this time," Sands stated confidently.

"How can you be sure?"

"I'll have him in a cock hold this time." Sands grinned brazenly.

Cerise sighed and shook her head. "We'll see," she muttered.

"Sure will," Sands replied. "Now, let's grab that little worm and get on the road!" he said all too cheerfully.

* * *

Sarah shivered, despite the sun. "CanNOT get used to the dramatic change in weather!" she stated, as she and Sammy walked towards the rental car.

Sammy chuckled, fingering the key. "Where do you suppose they are?" he asked Sarah.

"I traced Cerise's cell," Sarah said, handing Sammy a slip of paper with the address of a motel.

"We'll try there first, hopefully they haven't already checked out." Sammy replied.

"Hopefully," Sarah muttered, as she got in the car. "There's something else," Sammy said. He reached into his bag and took out a folder, handing it to Sarah. "This was found in Sands' apartment last night."

Sarah opened the file and gasped. "Oh God, these are the missing pages!"

"The what?"

"The missing pages from Sands' file. From Cerise, and mine as well..." She suddenly fell quiet. "It's about the Paris operation..."

Sammy looked at her, shocked. "Who... why would someone take information on that!?"

"We don't know yet...but the next question is why was it in Sands' apartment?" Sarah muttered.

Sammy shook his head, then shoved the car into gear. They left the rental lot, driving into Culiacan.

As they drove towards the motel, Sammy stopped at an intersection. Sarah had her eyes on the world outside her window, taking in the streets she'd just been in walking less than a month ago. They had stopped next to a restaurant, and Sarah watched as two women came out. The two women chatted; one was tall, slender, with medium brown hair with honey highlights. It was the gun on her waist that made Sarah sit up straighter and take extra notice. The woman turned, as if to look at the car, and her eyes met Sarah's.

Sarah gasped deeply, hands flying to her mouth. It couldn't possibly be her! She was supposed to be dead! But Sarah was staring back at the face of Agent Adjerez, as if the woman had never ceased to live. "Oh my fucking god..." Sarah swore in a breathless tone.

"What?" Sammy asked, glancing at her. He looked past Sarah and out her window in time to see the woman turn and walk away.

Sarah turned to Sammy, pale, as if she'd seen a ghost. "Tell me you saw that woman."

"Yeah...?" Sammy answered slowly. "What about her?"

"She's supposed to be dead!!" Sarah shrieked. "Jeff shot her! POINT BLANK!"

Sammy just stared at Sarah.

* * *

They approached Guitar Town at a snail's pace. Sands realized, with a lot of irritation, this kid could not fucking drive well! "Cerise, you're driving us out of here." Sands said from the front seat. He heard Cerise snicker from behind her paperback and turned his face over his shoulder so she could see he was serious.

"Yes, yes, Sands,"she replied with mock exasperation. Sands turned back to the front, his fingers switching on and off the safety of his gun, the motion only made Charlie even more frightened, his hands clasped tightly on the wheel. Cerise watched as she read. Sands was irritated, it was the only reason for him to intimidate the kid.  
  
Finally they stopped, and Cerise got her first clear view of the so called Guitar Town, and understood why it was duly called such.

"Here's the low down, Tiger," Sands said to Charlie, the nuzzle of the gun coming to rest in the kid's face. Charlie whimpered. "You just lead, you don't open your fucking mouth. Say a word, I'll shoot you in the balls, savvy?"

"Yes..." Charlie squeaked.

"Stop scaring the kid, Sands!" Cerise said from the back seat, trying not to laugh. She really did feel sorry for the boy.

"I'm not scaring him, I'm laying down the law," Sands replied with the utmost seriousness. "And another thing, Chuck. You don't make any indication towards my... problem." Sands gestured slightly towards the sunglasses.

"Yes sir..." Charlie said meekly.

"Now salga."

"Excuse me, sir?"

"Out, you twit!" He heard Charlie fumble with his seatbelt, then throw the door open. "Staying or coming, Cherry?" Sands asked, a hand on his own door handle.

"I want to see what you're up to, before I make up my mind," Cerise said, glancing back at the large empty fort. "Suit yourself, praeclarus." Cerise smiled slightly at the Latin word.

Sands got out of the car and turned to Charlie. "Get the case out of the back."

"You mean the guitar case?"

"What else is in the back seat? And didn't I tell you not to talk!?"

"Yes sir..." Charlie trudged to the back of the car and opened the door, grabbing the black guitar case. Cerise looked at him, raising an eyebrow, but Charlie shrugged. The boy slammed the door and turned, walking over to Sands.

"Take the guitar out and hand it to me," Sands said, thumbs in the loops of his belt.

Charlie sighed, but knelt down on the ground, undoing the locks on the case and opening it up. He looked at the black guitar a moment, then took it out of the case. Standing, he handed it to Sands.  
  
Sands took the guitar and tweaked the strings a moment. It wasn't his, but it would work. Tuning it a moment, he began strumming. He walked a few paces, and stopped, waiting for Charlie to catch up. "Now where?" Charlie asked with a gulp.

"To the fort," Sands replied, strumming away at the guitar. Charlie opened his mouth, but Sands started walking. While he played, Charlie sprinted to get ahead of him as was his job.

Cerise frowned from the car. What the hell was Sands playing at?! She turned and looked at the fort and got out of the car. She heard Sands playing a Latin beat that she did not know he knew. She stood there a long moment, watching him walk towards the fort, as he played, undaunted as always in his movements, as if he'd never lost his eyes. She admired him at that moment, more than she ever had. He'd shoved back all that had happened to him and fought to regain his life.

Sands heard her shut the car door as she got out, but he kept walking, knowing she'd follow at her own pace, and if his plan worked out, she'd be out of harms way if things got ugly. Charlie on the other hand...

He continued walking, feeling the shadows on his skin as he passed under the arch, feet leaving stone as he stepped onto grass. "Stairs," He directed the boy, never once did he stop playing. He felt a pair of eyes from above on him, and kept his face blank, the music picking up a more lively beat as he strummed away.  
  
He climbed the stairs behind Charlie, making their way up. He never felt the eyes leaving him, and he knew exactly who they belonged to.  
  
_'Come out and play, El.' _

"This is it," Charlie said softly as they walked into the sun again. Sands had seen the fort before. He knew there was a railing a few steps ahead of him, and walked cautiously, but calmly towards it. His hip brushed the railing and he turned, sitting partly on it, playing away. He heard light footsteps climbing the stairs, and knew they belonged to Cerise.

But it was the presence in the tower to his left, that he kept his concentration on. Cerise stopped in the doorway of the stairs and sank down on the top step, leaning against the wall to watch Sands. She didn't want to venture too far, aware of what he was up to now.  
  
Sands continued to play, even when he heard the clink of the chains, and the clang of the spurs. He heard Charlie gasp and knew El had made his appearance.

"You play?" That deep, soft voice spoke.

"Oh yes. I play," Sands replied, never raising his head. "Much like you, El, music is my life." He heard El snort. "Tut tut, El," Sands chided

"What do you want Sands?" El asked, looking up at the sky.

"Well," Sands said slowly, finally lifting his head, shifting to the tune he played for Cerise. "That's up for debate," Sands said simply, playing the tune, mostly for Cerise who he knew was still sitting in her spot. He also knew that El hadn't spotted her yet.

"Leave," El commanded.

"Can't do that," Sands replied.

"Why?"

"Because, I've come to employ you and well, you see my associate there. He doesn't take no for an answer. Chances are, he'll shoot you if you say no."

El looked behind him and raised an eye brow at the kid. The boy was looking at him wide eyed, and El knew he'd do no such thing. But there was a shadow dwelling on the stairs, the small woman who'd gotten out of the car.  
  
"Why me?" El asked, turning back to Sands.

"I'm obsessed with all those myths of yours," Sands answered flatly.

"What do you want me to do, shoot someone?" El asked sarcastically.

"Well, it might come to that... but we'll see. Actually.." Sands stopped playing all at once, dropping the guitar to his side. "I..." He seemed to growl. "Need your assistance in a rescue operation."

"A rescue operation. Another insane agent such as yourself?" El asked scathingly.

"Actually, a three year old girl," Sands retorted evenly.

El stopped. He'd been walking towards the man. "And you want to save this girl, why?" El questioned, unsure what the man was playing.  
  
"Ah El, too many fucking questions," Sands said with a sigh, getting up from the railing. He moved towards El, coming within feet of him. "Have I ever given you reason, NOT to trust me?" Sands asked, tilting his head to the side.

El glared. "Too many."

"Well that wasn't the answer I was hoping for, really..." Sands said with a frown. "All right, I'm willing to give you a BIT more information. The little girl was kidnapped from her... loving family."

"Why?"

"Doesn't matter WHY. Just is," Sands snapped, tired of the questions.  
  
El sighed, frustrated. "I've had enough of this. If you don't leave this village, I'll kill you," El said, a slight tone of regret in his voice.

Sands lit a cigarette and blew the smoke in El's face. "I'm not leaving until you agree to this," Sands replied.

El frowned deeply. He was going to have to resort to physical means to drive this mad man from his home, and he didn't really like the idea.

"What do you say, El, do we have an accord?" Sands asked, taking a drag of his cigarette.  
  
He should have expected El's move, but it still caught him off guard. El grabbed his wrist, taking a side step and jerking his arm behind his back. Sands dropped the cigarette, other hand moving for his gun in reflex, but El grabbed his other wrist as well, jerking it behind his back.

"You're leaving," El hissed.

"I see you don't see it my way," Sands said flatly. His foot slid out, tripping El. El stumbled forward, dead weight into Sands, sending them both forward, which was not Sands' plan. He hit the wall of the tower hard, knocking his glasses askew. Shoving his shoulder back into El, he knocked the other man away from him, giving him a chance to right his sunglasses. Then he drove his other shoulder into the man.  
  
El stumbled back into the railing, but lunged before Sands could draw his gun. He grabbed his wrists, struggling with the man. They stumbled closer to the railing again and El overpowered Sands, pulling the same trick Sands had used, knocking his feet from under him and shoved himinto the railing. One hand holding both the man's wrists behind his back as he shoved the American over the railing, on his stomach, . El pulled Sands' own gun from his holster, switching off the safety and pushing it into the man's temple. "Amigo arrepentido," El muttered, finger on the trigger.  
  
"NO!" Cerise shouted, coming out into the opening. El turned his head slightly, but kept his eyes on the agent. "Listen, please. We really do need your assistance," Cerise said, holding up her hands, palm out.

"Who are you?" El demanded.

"Cerise Stone. The little girl... I'm her mother."

El frowned, looking at Cerise. This was Sands' opportunity. He shoved away from the railing, throwing himself into El. The gun went off. Charlie screamed. Cerise didn't move, watching as the two men fell to the ground. El released the gun, which skidded across the stone to hit her feet. She leaned down and picked it up, sticking it in the back waist band of her jeans.  
  
Sands rolled, perching himself on top of El, at the same time, pulling his snub nose and jamming it under El's chin. "I'll pull the fucking trigger, and I know if I don't, she will!" Sands hissed. El glared. "Now will you help!?" Sands demanded, cocking the gun.

El gave in, closing his eyes. When he opened them, he looked at Cerise. There was a desperation in her eyes that only a mother could have. "Fine," he said simply.  
  
Sands got up off of him, moving over and picking up the guitar that had fallen over. He turned and walked towards the stairs, stopping at the first step to wait for the rest of them.

* * *

Translations:

praeclarus - Latin- Beautiful

Amigo arrepentido - Spanish- Sorry Friend


	16. One Step Closer to the Edge

Authors Note: Thanks to my reviewers!  
Thanks to Scarlett for beta-ing.

* * *

"Where to, Sands?" Cerise asked softly.

"You're pick, Red,"he replied simply.

Cerise glanced at him, tempted to ask if he was alright, but decided she would do so later, already knowing the answer. She drove in silence, looking for somewhere simple. She found it an hour and a half later. She parked outside the hotel and turned in her seat to look at Charlie.

"Let me guess..." he muttered. "Go check us in..."

"You got it luv," Cerise replied, slipping him some money.

"Name I use?" he asked, looking at her.

Cerise thought for a moment, then replied. "Corso."

Charlie frowned, but nodded and got out, glad to get away from El. Sands turned towards her, eyebrow raised. "Corso? Someone, I should know about?"

Cerise shook her head. "Never mind about that."

"Old boyfriend?" Sands pressed.

"If he was?" she asked back.

Sands just kept facing her, grinning. She had the feeling she'd have to 'fess up later. El was staring at them, questionably and Cerise noted his look. All things considered, Sands hadn't told El that he was involved with Cerise. or that he was Lily's father. She had a feeling that information would make things interesting, to say the least.  
  
Charlie came back with their room keys. "I wasn't really sure how many rooms to get, so I got three..." he muttered, handing the keys to Cerise. He liked doing business with her, more then Sands.

Cerise frowned. That might be a bad idea. She wasn't sure if El would make a run for it or not. Here's to hoping he wouldn't.

"That's fine, whelp." Sands replied, getting out. He walked to the back of the car and grabbed his bag. "Let's go El," he said in a patronizing tone. El flipped him off and got out, waiting by the front of the car.

Cerise sighed. It was going to be hell stuck with all the bickering. She got out, getting her own bag from the backseat floorboard and followed Charlie inside, Sands a step behind her, El nearly at her side.

* * *

Sands hit the bed as soon as he heard Cerise close the door. He lay face down into the pillow and listened to Cerise moving around the room. When the silence got to be too much, Sands rolled over. "So who's Corso?"

Cerise rolled her eyes. "An old friend, from college." She said.

"Did you date him?" Sands pressed.

"Sheldon!"

"You dated him. You slept with him too, didn't you?"  
  
Cerise groaned. He had the nasty habit of interrogating her at times. "You did," he said with a sort of satisfied smile.

"Will you stop it?! So what if I did! I was nineteen at the time!"

"What did he look like? Was he good in bed?"

Cerise grabbed the phone book off the desk and threw it at him. "Knock it off!"

"Touchy," he muttered, stretching out on his back. Silence sank in for another moment, before he asked. "Are you still in contact with him?"

"From time to time, yes!" she snapped. Sands held up his hands, palms out, showing truce.  
  
Cerise sank into a chair by the window and stared out of it. Sands lay motionless on the bed, listening to her breathing. "This can't go on much longer..." She finally stated .

"You're telling me," Sands muttered, his hands behind his head. She sighed and Sands rolled over, to face her. "What's the matter, Cherry? Not got that fighting spirit ya once had?" he asked.

"Fuck you."

"You already have, more than ONCE." There was a satisfied grin on his face at that thought.

"I'm bloody glad you think this is all a game, Sheldon," she replied sharply.

"Never said that," he stated, getting the feeling that their tempers were going to get the better of them again. So he began detaching himself from his current emotions, lest he say something he'd regret again.

"No, but you're acting like it."

"Pray tell, how do you WANT me to act?" He cocked his head to the side as he sat up on the bed.

"Like you care," she snapped.

"If I didn't care, Cerise Stone, I wouldn't be here, right now!" That came out far darker then Sands had intended and he heard Cerise get up, with a stifled sob, and rush past him.  
  
A moment later, he heard the bathroom door bang shut and the lock click. Sands sighed and sat on the edge of the bed for a long time, facing the window. He heard Cerise slamming the cabinets open and closed and got off the bed, moving towards the bathroom door. When it was quiet inside the small room, he rapped his knuckles on the door. "Cherry..." He got no answer out of her and tried the doorknob, finding it was indeed locked. He ran his thumb over the knob and was happy to find that it had a key hole. He reached into his back pocket and took out a leather wallet. Slipping it open he ran his fingers over the cold steel picks, feeling for the right one. When he found it, he slipped it out, sat it between his teeth, and put the wallet back in his back pocket.  
  
He took the pick out of his mouth and stuck it in the lock, turning it a few times until he heard an satisfied click. "NO!" he heard her shriek, and felt her grab the knob.

"Cerise!" he yelled, putting his shoulder into the door. "Let me in!"

"NO!" she cried back.

Sands was distracted a moment, trying to concentrate on what the tone of her voice was... it was boarding on hysteria and desperation and Sands didn't understand it. "Cerise, open the door."

"No!" she cried again, this time it was mixed with sobs. He pushed with his shoulder, but the door wouldn't budge and he was finding it hard to believe that she was up against it by herself.  
  
When he couldn't get in by shoving, he moved back a bit. He fought to keep his voice calm as possible. "Cerise, baby, open the door." Silence. He stepped closer to the door. "Baby..."

"I can't..." she weeped.

"Why not?" He asked gently.

"I can't..." she repeated.

Sands sighed, leaning his forehead against the cool wood. The minutes ticked by. She'd stopped sobbing. "Baby... please, OPEN the door..." Sands said, a hand on the knob. It was still unlocked but there was an unbearable weight against the door. There couldn't be anything in that bathroom she could have moved. She had to be sitting against it. "Don't make me..." He heard her crying. "Cherry... honey..." He pushed on the door. It started to budge, so he pushed harder.

"No!" She cried again, trying to lean against the door again, but by this time, she was too tired to put up much more of a fight.

So he shoved harder until he got it open enough to slip into the room. The shampoo bottle hit him in the face. Sands grabbed his sunglasses before they fell off, but was instantly pelted in the chest with something else. "Cerise!" he snapped, getting hit with another bottle. "Stop it!"

"Leave me alone!" she screamed. Sands put out a hand to grab her and felt the blade of a razor pass over his palm. He hissed and grabbed her wrist, jerking the razor from her hand and tossing it in the sink. She fought against him to get out of his grip and he grabbed her other hand. "What is wrong?!" he nearly cried.

"YOU! THIS! EVERYTHING!" she screamed, fighting to get free. She lost her balance, tumbling backwards and pulling Sands with her. They fell to the floor with a thud. Sands' sunglasses tumbled off and he heard them smack against the tub. His hold, however, didn't release her.

If anything, it tightened, when he heard her gasp, their faces only inches apart. She started trembling, as if it was the first time she'd ever seen him with out the sunglasses. Sands growled, his grip on her wrist's solid. "Cerise." he growled sternly. He felt her turn her face away, could hear her crying. "Look at me!" he commanded. When he knew she didn't, he grabbed her chin and jerked her head towards him. "Look at me," he said again, but a little more gently this time. "This is what it's cost me, Cerise." She whimpered. "It's cost me my eyes," he hissed bitterly. "But here I am, back in the country that caused me more grief than I have ever known. Why?! Because OUR daughter is out there!" He let go of her chin and ran his fingers over her cheek. "I came down here to fight for her... And I know you did as well, baby." He felt her relax some. "No one said it was easy, gorgeous, but we've got each other, to help us get through this," he whispered.

"What about you?" she asked.

"What about me? I still have no eyes," he replied, letting go of her other wrist. But neither moved for a long moment.

Then she pushed him over, grabbing the sunglasses as they turned. She lay on top of him, and put the sunglasses back on his face, kissing him lightly. "But you still got me," she replied.

Sands grinned slightly, arms on her waist. "Even if I shoot the cook?"

"Well," She drawled, matching his usual tone. "Only as long as you're restoring the balance..."

"Well, yeah, that's what I do," he said, cocking his head to the side. "I throw shapes. I set them up and I watch..." He trailed off, frowning.

"Watch them fall," she whispered in his ear. "You always have, you always will." Sands didn't reply, but he pulled her closer, holding her.

"Now are you going to throw anything more at me?" he asked her quietly.

She laughed softly, through the silent tears that had started again. "I'm sorry about that."

"You should be. Is it bleeding?" He held up the palm of his hand and felt her wince.

"And I'm sorry for THAT. No... but I can see the cut, so stay away from salt."

"No, I was going to go out and pour lemon juice on it," he replied sarcastically.

"Well you see, that's just the thing you'd do to get back at me!" she retorted. He stuck out his bottom lip in a mock pout.

She was about to say something else, when he tensed, and moved to sit up, shifting her off of him. At the same time, the bathroom door creaked open slowly. The gunshot cracked through the room, and Sands held the smoking pistol. El didn't move, standing in the doorway. Cerise sat against the sink.

"Yes?" Sands demanded angrily. He had the feeling he knew who it was, and how he'd missed hearing the door to the room open was beyond him.

"I thought I heard a fight," El replied, an eyebrow raised.

"Well, yeah, but it was a private fight, El Fuckmook!" Sands cocked the gun again.

"Whoa," El raised both hands, taking a step back.

"Sands," Cerise spoke calmly from her spot.

"Where do you think, Cerise, in the foot maybe?" Sands moved his gun to aim at El's left foot. El stopped moving, glancing at Cerise.

"Sands!" She raised her voice slightly.

"Or how 'bout the shoulder?"  
  
"Sheldon!"

The shot went off before she could say or do anything more. El stumbled back, holding his shoulder. "Damn it, Sheldon!" Cerise cried, looking from El back to Sands, who was putting the gun away.

"Well at least I didn't shoot him in the hand," Sands replied, rolling to his feet. He pushed past El into the other room, walking towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Cerise asked in a frustrated tone.

"For a walk... unless you want me to use El for target practice here, I don't want to be in his presence for awhile,." Sands replied, jerking the door open. He was furious at himself for not hearing El enter the room in the first place. Had it been anyone else, it could have cost him... it could have cost him Cerise.  
  
Cerise watched Sands slam the door shut before sinking against the door frame of the bathroom with a sigh. El glared at the door, uttering a curse. Cerise turned to him. "Here," she said softly. "I'll help you bandage that up."

El looked at her. He was about to say no, but it would give him a chance to question her. Cerise grabbed the first aid kit from her suitcase and El followed her over to a chair at the table. She helped him get his shirt off and started to clean the wound.

"How do you know Sands?" El asked calmly, casually.

"We've been... partners for just about seven years or so."

"So you work for the CIA?"

"Not for much longer," she answered.  
  
"Why?" El looked at her, taking in her appearance as she leaned over him.

"I want out," she answered.

"Don't like it?" He cocked his head to the side.

Cerise looked up, meeting his eyes. "I want out of the agency to raise my daughter. I always knew something like this would happen," she answered softly. "I know he already blames himself for it," she said, looking back at her work. El was quiet for a moment. before speaking.

"I won't work for him, unless I know the truth."

Cerise smiled slightly, but didn't meet his eyes. She knew exactly what he wanted to know. "He's Lily's father, yes. And I do love him, El."

El narrowed his eyes. "How can you love a man like that?"

Cerise shook her head sadly. Then she stood over El and looked him directly in the eyes, holding his gaze. "Whatever you think of Sheldon Jeffrey Sands, El Marichi, you do not know the half of him. You do not know the full story, so your judgment is limited. Which is sad, damn it!"

"There isn't much room for judgement when you're speaking of a man who kills mercilessly."

"And you haven't ever done so? I find that VERY hard to believe," she snapped.

El glared. "He's greedy, he's dangerous, and he's crazy!"

Cerise twisted the tweezers as she worked on removing the bullet, bring a gasp of pain from El. She looked at him, knowing she had his full attention now, and leaned in close. "And he's human!" She pulled the bullet out with a yanking, making El cry out.

"Have you ever been a father, El?" she asked as she started to bandage the wound. When he didn't answer, she knew the truth. "Then you should understand how far you'd go to save your child's life. How far you're willing to go to fight for her."

"There is still a difference," El replied.

"What?!"

"My daughter is dead, and he knows it." Cerise slammed the first aid kit shut, fuming.

"You know, do you even know what happened to him that day? I don't think you care, but do you bloody know what happened?!" El looked at her, attempting to stay calm.

"What?"

"He lost his eyes!" she snapped dangerously. "Not just blind, his eyes are gone! He'll never see his daughter's face! He's only just recently discovered he's a father! Do you NOT at least have some pity for that?!"

El stared at her. It made sense now, all the agent's actions. El swallowed and found his voice. "It is hard to give pity like that..."

"Then you're not as bleedin' honorable as you believe yourself to be!" Cerise replied, moving away from him. "I wouldn't be here when I get back if I were you, I'll probably shoot you in the other shoulder," she replied, revealing her own 9 mm. "And I sure as hell wouldn't be here when Sands comes back."

She headed for the door, concealing her weapon again. El watched her leave in silence.


	17. Over that Edge

Authors Note: Thanks to my reviewers and thanks to Scarlett.

* * *

Sands moved around the perimeter of the hotel, running his hand along the wall. There was a slight clicking to be heard as he moved. The cane hit the sidewalk as he walked slowly. He had to get out of the hotel room. He had to get away before things turned even bloodier between him and El, and he didn't want to hurt Cerise if she'd tried to stop him from killing the bastard.  
  
He continued to walk, moving around a corner and what he figured was a garden, cause he fucking walked right into a planter! Shoving away from it, he rubbed his elbow, swearing. The strap at the top of the cane had kept it to his wrist, but he listened to it swing into the concert planter as he leaned against it slightly.  
  
With a sigh he shoved away from it again, and continued walking. Cerise was right, it was all getting to him. He didn't even want to begin to think about the headache he had from all the noise. It was beginning to be that every little sound, he cringed in pain. And every time he woke up, he couldn't fight back the panic he felt for not being able to see his surroundings. He hated all the cautious moving, having to rely on someone else, especially someone like Charles. And he hated this cane! He'd been using it in the hospital, when no one was around, and he hated to admit that it worked, that it **helped** him. But it did, and that's why he'd kept it.  
  
He continued walking along the gravel path in this the large botanical garden. Somewhere to his left, he heard a large waterfall. He could smell the vivid mixture of a hundred different flowers, feel the warm air. He had no doubt that it was supposed to have a calm effect, but he just didn't have anything left in him to even TRY and calm himself down. He was on that edge and if someone pushed him over, things were going to go a lot worse.  
  
His mind was wandering so badly, that he hadn't thought to listen if he was the only one in the garden. He wasn't, and he was about to pay greatly for this mistake. As he considered his next step, he slammed into a body. "Fuck..." he swore under his breath, stumbling back slightly, regaining his balance. But the other body grabbed his arm.

"Well, I see you've yet to adjust to your new lifestyle," she said.  
  
Sands entire body froze at that voice. His mind screamed back at him to move, but his body would not respond. "You..." he hissed.

"Yes... me. You just don't learn, do you baby?" She grinned watching him. His body finally responded and he fought to pull his gun, but she slammed the muzzle of her gun under his chin. Adjerez watched him stop moving again.

"Aww... what's the matter Sands?" she taunted him. "You're not half the man I screwed before."

He cringed. "That's forgettable," he replied. "You left a bad taste in my mouth."

She glared. "I could almost say the same about you," she replied softly, letting her fingers move from the barrel of her gun to run over the lower part of his cheek. Sands jerked his head back, but she slammed him into a stone pillar, gun still under his chin, and kissed him.  
  
Sands shoved her away from him, growling. But she cocked the gun, keeping him pressed to the pillar, and searched him. She removed his two guns and dropped them on the floor. "And what's this?" She removed the strap of the cane from his wrist, pulling it away from him. "A new accessory, I see," she remarked, tossing it behind her with his guns. Sands didn't reply; he was numb, void of any feeling, except the worst.

"I'm not here to kill you, sadly," Adjerez said, stepping back but keeping her gun pointed at him. "But that doesn't mean we can have a little fun. I'm afraid I owe you one." She pulled the trigger. Sands let out a muffled cry of pain as the bullet lodged itself in his shoulder. "As for Rosa... well you wont be getting anymore information from her. She's dead."  
  
_Cruel Irony,_ he reminded himself, panting in pain. He heard her walking away, the gravel crunching and he couldn't stop himself from hitting the ground hard. This was that breaking point he'd been scared of. Slowly and painfully he moved onto his knees and crawled towards where he believed his guns to be. His fingers closed around one and he grabbed it, shooting towards the direction he'd last heard her, but he knew it was useless, she was already gone. He emptied the clip before picking up the smaller one.  
  
_She did this!  
  
I can't see... why can't I see...  
  
I killed her! I know I fucking killed her!  
  
_He tumbled forward, his injured shoulder ran into the floor, and his entire right side screamed in pain. But he lay there, clutching the small 9mm and panting, blood coating the gravel below him.  
  
_I've gotta open my eyes...._

_why can't I open my eyes..._

_Where the fuck am I?!  
  
_He brought his hands up to his face, grabbed the sunglasses and pulling them off. His fingers came in contact with the empty eye sockets and he screamed. He rolled over stiffly, pressing the heels of his hands against the holes. His whole body was in panic. A cold sweat covered every muscle, and he couldn't fight back the trembling.

When he finally dropped his hands, he just lay there, slipping into a darkness far worse then what he'd been living with since he'd woken up in that hospital room.

* * *

Cerise pushed the door of the garden's open and slipped inside. Not that she expected to find Sands there, but maybe she could clear her own head before she went and looked for him. She'd made the worst damn mistake in the room, telling El about Sands' loss of sight. He would NOT be happy. She cringed at the thought. She was so fucking tired of arguing with him.  
  
With a sigh, she turned the corner on the path, walking past the waterfall, noting that there was an area behind it to sit, and a way to get inside this area. She may go there later tonight, to read or something. She looked back at the path and raised her eyes, all but stopping. She gasped.

She ran forward, dropping to her knees in the gravel beside him. One hand was still clutching the smaller of the two guns, the other lay a few feet away, and behind her was his aluminum cane. His sunglasses where near his head.

He was bleeding. She broke the first three buttons of his shirt, pushing it back from his shoulder to see the wound.

_What the hell had he tried to do, shoot himself?!_

But the moment her fingers touched the area around the wound, Sands came too, gasping for air deeply. He struggled against her hands. "NO!" he shouted, pushing her away.

"Sheldon!" Her eyes flew to the gun as he began raising his hand. "Don't do this!" she cried, grabbing his wrist, but he struggled to get it raised and the shot echoed through out the garden.  
  
Cerise straddled his legs, wrenching the gun from his hand and throwing it into the ground. "You cannot be doing this!" She grabbed both his wrists, much like he had her own only an hour ago. But he fought and pulled, clawing at her arms.

"Get away from me!" he screamed, pulling. "Don't touch me, don't you fucking touch me!"

He kicked her off of him. Cerise rolled and got to her feet, in time to see Sands stagger to his own. "I know what's going on here!" he hissed, gesturing wildly. "You, them, they did this!" He pushed the heel of his hands against the eye sockets again. He and swayed. "I killed her, I killed her..." He muttered over and over again.

"Sheldon, who?"

Cerise took two steps towards him and his head snapped up. "Don't fucking move," he threatened in a tone she'd never heard him use, and she froze. Sands moved his hands from his eyes to press against his temples. "I'm Sheldon Jeffrey Sands of the Central Intelligence Agency. I throw shapes. I set them up, and I watch them fall." He repeated these words over and over again.  
  
Cerise cringed. This was just wonderful. He was having a fucking breakdown right in front of her eyes. She expected it to happen sooner or later, but couldn't believe it now that she was seeing it. She took a deep breath. It was time to do what she did best, and talk him down. _Just like the acid trip,_ she reminded herself.  
  
"Sheldon," she spoke calmly, but her voice was enough to get his attention.

"Who are you!?" he demanded, head turning wildly. "Sheldon, darling, it's me, it's Cerise. Your Cherry." He was taking steps away from her.

"No, no, no... she died. I watched her die, she died..."

"Come on, Sheldon, would I be standing here if I was dead?" she asked rationally.

"NO!" he snapped roughly. "SHE put you up to this, didn't she? I'll kill you."  
  
Cerise dove forward as he crouched. Tackling him, she drove him back into a pillar a lot harder then she'd intended. His head hit the cement with a smack and he went still, but his heavy breathing told her he was still with her. She grabbed the gun, found it was empty and tossed it into the bushes. But she hadn't paid attention to Sands' hand and this was her mistake.  
  
He pulled her desert eagle from her holster and shoved her over on to her back, the muzzle of the gun against her temple. He straddled her body, his other hand near her throat. She didn't move, because she knew if she gave him the chance he needed, he'd do it.

"Sheldon," she breathed, staring up at him, forcing herself not to look away from his face, even with it this close and without his sunglasses. Pain and desperation was etched in it's lines. "Listen to me, Sheldon." "

Why should I?!" he hissed, finger slipping off the safety off.

Cerise took a breath. "Shelly. Think, please. I know you can understand, I know you can get past this."

"I CAN'T FUCKING SEE!" he screamed. She cringed.

"Shelly, luv, please! Think of Lily." Her own voice bordered on desperation.  
  
Sands froze. That name was familiar and he struggled to grasp it. Where was he, what was he doing right now?! Mexico. He was in Mexico. In Mexico with no eyes. No eyes. He couldn't see. God why did it have to hurt so fucking much?! He let a stifled cry of pain as he pushed against his temple with one hand, the other never releasing the gun.  
  
Cerise watched, she was making headway. "Shelly, you've got to remember, everything, the hospital, your apartment, Lily being kidnapped... us." She managed to move her hand, raising it slowly. "Please Shelly, remember." She choked on her tears. "I need you," she whimpered. He dropped his hand to her shoulder, pushing her down again, but the gun went lax against her head.  
  
Cerise kept talking, though she was running out of things to say. So she went a different way. "Remember what we promised?"

"What promise?" he hissed.

Cerise swallowed. "I would fight for you. I'd lie for you, walk the wire for you. I'd die for you," she whispered. He didn't move, his entire being went still. Internally, she was begging for him to remember. She needed him to remember, not just for himself any more, but for her. For them. It took a long time for him to consider what they'd promised.

Finally he spoke, softly. "Take me as I am. Take my life. I would give it all. I would sacrifice."

She sighed, closing her eyes. She heard the gun drop to the gravel beside her and Sands moved. Cerise opened her eyes, watching him sit back against the pillar, knees drawn and head in his hands. Cerise left her gun where it was and crawled over to him.  
  
He didn't raise his head, which muffled his voice. "A lot of fucking good I'm doing."

Cerise sighed and sat up on her knees. She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him. She was more then a little surprised when he didn't pull away. and for a moment, she didn't move. Then she pulled him with her, sitting herself against the pillar, his head against her shoulder.

"Don't say that, Shelly." She ran her hand through his hair, leaning her head back.  
  
He snorted but didn't answer. God, he was in pain. "I just wanna die right now..." he muttered. 

"Not allowed," she hissed strongly. "God damn it, Sheldon Jeffrey Sands, I need you! Our daughter needs you!" She cried, tears flowing freely. "I mean, damn it! You're still who you used to be! You're still the CIA's Cowboy! And don't you fucking forget it!"  
  
He turned himself to raise his head in her direction. "Your confidence in me is tremendous," he replied sarcastically.

"Fuck you," she muttered.

"I would, but I have a bullet lodged in my shoulder."

"Yes, I noticed. What the fuck where you trying to do? Shoot yourself?!"

He gave her a look. "It wasn't me."

"Then who?!"

"Adjerez...Ellina Adjerez..." The name didn't exactly ring a bell with Cerise but from Sands' tone, she got the feeling this was someone he hadn't expected to see alive.

"She's involved in all this..." Cerise muttered, a statement, not a question.  
  
"Looks that way." Sands sat back against the pillar next to her, leaning on her. She leaned back against him, suddenly too tired to keep herself upright. They sat there together, huddled close. Sands found her hand, entangling his fingers in hers.

"Promise me, the next time you decided to have a breakdown, don't be armed," she muttered.

"I'll try..." he snorted. He turned slightly, burring his face in her hair, a moment of peace sinking in as they listened to the waterfall.  
  
"Let's go get that bullet out of your shoulder," she said after awhile. The sun having set outside. Sands sighed and let her pull him to his feet. He leaned on her as they started for the door. "Wait..." He stopped, his foot searching. When it hit the cane, he bent down and picked it up, folding it. His fingers also found his sunglasses and he slipped them on again before standing.

"When'd you..."

"It stays between us," He stated, it was an order.

Cerise smiled slightly as he slipped the cane into his pocket. "Fair enough. Let's go cowboy."


	18. Losing Cherry

Authors: Thanks to my reviewers. I know this chapter is long in coming. :) Much thanks to my partner in crime, Scarlett for beta-ing. ;)

* * *

El was not in the room when they got back, which Cerise was glad of, because she would have shot him on sight. "Where's El fuckmook?" Sands asked as he dropped into the chair.

"Gone back to his room, I imagine. I bandaged him up and sent him on his way," she replied, opening the first aid kit. "After I argued with him..."

"About what?" Sands asked, letting her unbutton his shirt the rest of the way. "You. I didn't like what he had to say about you," she said softly, wiping the blood off his shoulder. Sands raised his hand and ran his fingers through her hair. She had it lose, and he pulled all the way to it's long ends gently. "What would I do with out you?" he wondered out loud.

"I don't think considering the question right now, is a good idea," she replied, pulling the bullet out as gently as she could.  
  
She'd just finished bandaging his shoulder, when it happened. The door swung open and a shower of bullets flew. Cerise dragged Sands down behind the bed. Sands was already loading his gun, but before he could move another shower rained down on them.

"Who the fuck?!" Sands shouted.

"Sheldon, don't. They've got the kid!" Cerise grabbed his arm, before he could fire.

"So?!"

"Sheldon!" Sands sighed, knowing she was right. Charlie didn't deserve to die.  
  
"Stand up, Agent Sands, or we'll shoot the boy," a male voice ordered. Sands leaned his head against the bed for a long moment, with a sigh of dejection. Finally he stood, dropping the gun on the bed. "You too, bitch."

"Watch it, asshole," Sands growled. Cerise stood beside him.

"Take them." Sands heard three or four men move into the room towards him. He was about to put up a fight, when the man spoke again. "And if you struggle, we'll shoot her instead."  
  
Cerise gave a cry of pain as one of them grabbed her by the hair, throwing her towards the man, who was a tall, broad shouldered Mexican. He grabbed her arm, pulling her close. "Though, maybe not before I have a little fun."

Sands began struggling with the men who grabbed him, at those words, growling. Cerise spit in the man's face and he backhanded her. Sands tried to lunge at the sound of the man's hand cracking across her face and Cerise hitting the floor but the men yanked him back and he felt a sharp pain in his neck.  
  
"Ah fuck, not again..." Sands muttered, already going limp. He was only semi conscious when they began dragging him out the door.

"Let me go!" he heard Cerise yell, and the men only laughing in response when she cried out.  
  
They dragged them out of the room, out of the hotel and towards a group of cars. Cerise looked around wildly and blinked. They had El too, and he was unconscious. They stuffed his body in the backseat of an SUV and shoved Sands in beside him.

_Yeah, that's gonna work well... _she mused, but to her total dislike they shoved her into the floorboards of the same car. They hadn't bound her up like they had El and Sands, so she curled up at Sands' feet, watching the men around her.  
  
Sarah had seen the whole thing. She stood there, glaring as the cars pulled away, before striding toward the black neon she and Sammy had rented. She heard Sammy coming out of the hotel. "Hurry up!" she shouted at him, getting behind the wheel. Sammy came running and as she waited she took out her 45 automatic and checked the clip.

"What was that?" Sammy asked.

"Our wild turkey," she answered. "Now we give chase." She hit the gas and they sped off, following the SUVs.

* * *

Sands came to slowly. He took a moment to try and clear his fogged mind. As the drugs started to wear off, and found that he was unable of moving his arms. He struggled and pain shot through his injured shoulder but his fingers felt canvas and he realized just what was restraining him. He began trying to tear at the straightjacket that was restraining him.  
  
_No! This is NOT fucking happening!  
  
You better believe it, _that little nasty voice entered his mind.  
  
_Leave me alone...  
  
Oops, sorry, no can do. You're stuck with me.  
  
FUCK YOU!  
  
In which position_?  
  
Sands gave a cry of rage, and struggled against the straightjacket more. "Sands!" a voice snapped.

Sands stopped struggling. He knew that voice. "What the fuck?! Get me out of this fucking straightjacket, El!"

"I can't pick locks," El replied.

Sands sighed irritably, shoulders hitting the stone wall behind him. "God damn it, look, I have a set in my back pocket."

"You did..."

"What do you mean!?"

"They took everything," El replied calmly.

Sands cried out again in frustration, slamming himself repeatedly into the wall behind him.

El grabbed his shoulders.

"Get your fucking hands off me!" Sands hissed dangerously, but El didn't listen.

Why he was even caring enough to stop this madman from beating himself senseless was beyond him. He supposed that he just couldn't bring himself to watch the man cause himself harm. "Not until you stop," El replied.

"Fuck you," was the only reply El got. El kept a tight hold on the other man's shoulders, despite his squirming and struggling against the straightjacket.  
  
Finally Sands stopped, the pain of the wound in his shoulder too much. "Where's Cerise?" he demanded.

"They took her somewhere..." El said, glancing a the door. "The man said, that she wasn't to be harmed..."

Sands growled. "I'll kill them all."

"Is that necessary?" El replied hotly.

"Tell me El, if it was YOUR wife, what would you do?!" El didn't reply. "Then get me out of this fucking thing!"

"With what, magic?" El asked.

Sands swore, continuing to fight against the straightjacket.

El let go of him and moved towards the small window looking out. When the men had showed up, he was talking to Charlie about his employment with Sands. Charlie told him that Sands was indeed blind. The men hadn't removed Sands' sunglasses, and El wasn't sure they'd have had any luck, removing them, even when Sands had been unconscious.  
  
Sands rocked back and forth, the little nasty voice in his mind was winning over_.  
  
She's going to die, and you can't do anything to save her.  
  
Fuck off! _

_So you WANT her to die_...  
  
Sands screamed again, falling against the wall. He just lay there for a long time, perfectly still.

El had turned from the window at his scream. He stared at the man for a long time, before moving over to the chair that was in the corner, near Sands. "Sands.."

"What fuckmook?" Sands hissed, already irritated by the sound of El's voice.

"You can't keep acting like this... especially if you want to save your daughter."

Sands head snapped up. "How did..." He groaned. "Cherry..."

"Doesn't matter," El said. Sands suddenly felt the need to strike out at El, but instead he stayed curled up in the corner. El sighed and said nothing else, content to try and work on a plan to get them out of there.  
  
Some time had passed, and it was well after midnight before Sands moved again. "This is gonna hurt like a mother fucker," he muttered. El stopped watching the guards outside to see what Sands was talking about, and he watched Sands move slightly. Then there was a sickening pop and Sands cried out. Under the straightjacket, Sands' arm moved around and over his head to the front. El's eyes widened. The rogue agent had dislocated his shoulder.  
  
Another sickening pop and Sands was moving his injured shoulder, moaning in pain and stomping his foot in the ground to keep from screaming too much. Two pops, one right after another, and his shoulders were located again, his arms in front of him, pulling off the jacket. He stood, tossing it into a corner. "How many guards stationed at the door?" Sands asked.

"One," El answered, peering curiously at Sands.

"And outside?"  
  
"Three by the gate, one patrolling the grounds," El said. Sands leaned against the wall, breathing hard, a hand on his bleeding shoulder. "Listen, agent," El said, in an attempt to talk any sense into the man's head. "Someone out there want's us both dead, . I've been listening to them talking about our double execution at dawn."

"Well that gives us what? Three, four hours?" Sands asked.

"Five and a half." ," El corrected.

"You wanna live, Mariachi?" Sands hissed. El didn't answer. "Then you'll help me get out of here, and you'll help me get Cerise out of here, and then you'll help me save my daughter. Because if you don't..." Sands pushed himself away from the wall and stumbled into El. El grabbed his shoulders, but Sands' righted himself. He did not jerk back from El's touch. It put him close enough to El for his point to be as deadly as he wanted it. "Cause if you don't El, I swear to God, I'll spend the rest of my days, hunting you down." Sands tone was soft and very dangerous, and for a moment, El was truly afraid of the man.  
  
Then he pulled his courage together. El had suddenly found a common ground with the American. No matter how crazy he was, Sands was willing to do whatever it took for the woman he loved and his child. El respected that. God only knew, El would have done the same for Carolina and his little mockingbird. So now El had made up his mind. If it got this psychopath to leave Mexico, he would help him. "Very well." El muttered.

"Good! When I tell you to, start calling for the guard."

"And what do I tell him?" El asked.

"Say I... keeled over or something!" Sands said hurriedly. El frowned but agreed.  
  
Sands positioned himself on the other side of the door and motioned to El. El moved close enough to the door and began calling out in Spanish, telling them that Sands had beat himself to death against the wall.

"Not the choice way of going out, but it works..." Sands muttered. He heard the guard's response, telling El to deal with it. Then El's reply that he didn't want to share his cell with a dead man. A moment of silence, then a turn of the lock_. Fuckmooks..._ Sands grinned and waited.

The door opened and one set of footsteps moved into the room. Sands lunged, grabbing the man's neck. The man attempted to fight back, but Sands kicked his leg into the man's knees, dropping him to the floor. Then he twisted the man's head until he heard a satisfying crack, and the man's lifeless body dropped to the ground. Sands followed, on his knees as he began searching the body.

He tossed El a couple clips and handed him the MP-40. Sands himself took every 9 and 45 off the man, which was four in total. He also took the man's shoulder holsters and placed two of the three 9mm inside them, slinging it on. He tucked the other 9 and the 45 in his belt. "Let's go, El."

"Where?"

"To find my fiancée!" Sands snapped.

"You are..." El searched for the right word. "Engaged to her?" He asked finally.

Sands stopped at the door with an exasperated sigh. He leaned on it with his good shoulder, head lowered as if he were staring at the floor. Then he raised it, turning his head in El's direction. "Are, were... doesn't matter. I proposed the day I found out she was carrying my child." El moved forward a bit, waiting. "But... fate's a fickle dame, and four months later, she was torn from my side and I believed she was dead."

"Do you love her?" El asked.

Sands gave a brazen grin. "With ever twisted sick little breath in my body."

"Will you marry her?" El asked, in a tone that threw Sands off.

"Fuck off," Sands replied. But El grabbed him by his injured shoulder, and Sands gasped in pain.

"Will you marry her?!" El growled again.

Sands turned his head in El's direction and answered. "If that's what she wants, then yeah," Sands said quietly.

El looked at him for a long while. Each word, each sentence out of Sands' mouth was a clue to El that this man was not the killer he'd known only less then a month ago. He was still a dangerous man, yes, El had just seen that. But he had a twisted sort of honor. El had to admit that whoever wanted Sands out of the picture, was mighty low to use bargaining chips like Cerise and her daughter. Because the idiot that was doing it, wouldn't know what hit him when Sands arrived on his door step.  
  
Sands said nothing as they started into the hall, but he made it clear to El that he needed him to lead. El said not a word, and led Sands out of the hall into the garden.

Sands' gun fired, dropping the man who was patrolling. and the sound brought the other two guards running. El watched, almost amazed as Sands spun in a graceful movement and fired only two shots, the men dropped to the ground lifeless. "Now where did they take Cerise?" Sands asked El.

"To the main house, this way."  
  
El ran along the side of the building in the shadows. Sands two steps behind him. They were crouched low, letting the shadows cover them. Then El stopped. They were next to an open window, leading intothe library. He put out a hand, stopping Sands, who seemed to understand the need for silence. They heard voices.  
  
"You fucker!" Cerise snapped as she watched the man pace. "How the fuck could you do this!? Seven fucking years, you worked on our team, SEVEN FUCKING YEARS!"

"I have my reasons," a man said. Sands did not recognize... why didn't he recognize the voice?!

"Reason such as what?!" Cerise demanded. They could hear the man pacing around. El saw that Cerise was standing in the middle of the room, looking worse for wear, covered in bruises and a trace of dried blood on her lip.

"She does not look very good," El whispered.

"I'll shoot the mother fuckers," Sands hissed, but El grabbed his arm.

"Not yet." So they continued to listen.  
  
"How long did you think I was going to put up with it, Cerise?" the male voice asked, .

"How long did you think I was going to be under him? The psychopath? Not long. And now, now it's time for my revenge."

"You killed Matenize!"

"Yes, that was fun, I'll admit it. Should have seen the look on his face when I got out of the car, locking the door." Sands struggled to remember who the source of the voice was, but whoever it was, he'd worked with, and they were CIA.

"You've gone as insane as..."Cerise cut herself off. Sands grip on the gun tightened, he'd expected her to say his name, even willing to forgive HER for saying it.

"No..." Cerise said, her voice softening. "Sheldon's never been this crazy and he never will be," she said defiantly. Sands grinned slightly. Until he heard the sound of a crack and then her body stumbling into furniture. El turned his head away, shaking it slightly. The man would pay for that, he knew that now. But he had to keep Sands from making the mistake of doing something rash, when it could cost him.  
  
Sands heard the man walk across the floor, then crouch. He heard Cerise's stifled yelp of pain as the man grabbed her hair and jerked her head off the floor. "This is a sad night, Cerise. Do you know why?" Sands realized the voice had an accent he knew well enough. Southern. He should know, he grew up in Texas.

"Why?" Cerise demanded.

"Because I loved you," the man hissed, and Sands heard the rustle of material, the movement of a gun and his heart beat faster, he pushed against El, but El held him firm. If Sands lashed out, they'd be heard. So now, all Sands could do was listen, seething in his own self hate for ever doing this to her. The day she was made his partner, he should have told his superiors to go fuck themselves.  
  
"I'm very sorry I have to do this Cherry."

"Don't you dare fucking call me that!" Cerise shouted before gasping in pain. "And I'm sorry Lily will have to lose her mother as well as her father, but I can't let you live, knowing you will never really be mine, no matter how much I try to force you. I enjoyed this afternoon, and I'm sorry I did have to rape you."

Sands was now tearing at El's arms. Still El held him firm. "And I will raise Lily as if she were my own, letting her know how much you loved her." The gun went off with a deafening sound. Sands scream was muffled harshly by El's hand, while the other dragged him back from the window with every ounce of strength.  
  
"Let go of me, fucker!" Sands seethed, fighting.

"No, you can do no good for her now," El whispered.

"I SAID FUCKING LET ME GO!" Sands screamed, not giving a damn how many men it brought. He was going to fucking waste them all! El's grip tightened on Sands' arm, drawing a sharp hiss from the American as pressure was put on his wound.

"You CANNOT help her!"

Sands snapped right there. He began screaming a dozen course swears. El heard men running towards them. "Don't leave our own behind!" Sands began muttering, along with her name. El did the only thing he was capable of doing. He brought the butt of his gun down sharp on the back of Sands' head and lifted him over his shoulder when Sands went limp. Then he made a run for it.

_

* * *

_

_Hands where holding him against the wall, as he watched the scene in the alleyway all over again. But some things were changed. Smal,l but so drastic changes. But still, the hands held him to the wall, making sure there was only one thing he could do; stare.  
  
One of the changes was Monterio was holding an automatic rifle, not the 22. he'd used before. It wasn't Monterio's voice, but the voice from the man he hadn't been able to see. And then there was the other element of the dream that caused Sands' heart to stop. Cerise was standing in front of the wall, long dark red hair lose, and in a soft light blue sundress, nothing like the jeans and T-shirt she'd been wearing that day. _

_Sands heart wrenched. Instead of the slight swell of Cerise's belly that had told him she was carrying his child, clinging to her now, with her little arms wrapped around Cerise's neck, was his daughter and for the first time, Sands saw what she looked like. She had her mother's pale skin and heart shaped face, but his sable hair and deep brown eyes. Never had he seen a more beautiful child.  
  
Monterio spoke, "Will you come with me now?"  
  
"Never." Cerise took another step back, straight into the wall, a look of defiance on her face. She shook her head, making those crimson locks bob with the motion. Sands tried to struggle against the hands holding him, to yell out, but he was frozen, terror gripping his heart. Monterio sneered and raised his gun. A round of bullets sounded and Cerise cried out, dropping to the ground, blood seeping though the delicate material of the dress.  
  
Sands finally broke free, rushing to Cerise's side, but Monterio turned and opened fire again. Sands dropped to the dust next to Cerise, his hand reaching out to her. His last recollection was watching Monterio stoop and pull Lily from Cerise's arms as the child screamed and cried. It was the only time so far he'd heard Lily screaming and crying and Sands wanted to make the man's death slow and painful for making his child cry like that. But Monterio walked away, carrying Lily from the alley and disappearing from Sands' life.

* * *

_

Sands bolted upright, his hands searching. He found he was lying on an old mattress, the room was cool. He could smell the scent of a cheap hotel room. Sands didn't blame El for bringing him here, the enemy wouldn't have followed. But then, Sands was filled with rage as he remembered what El had done. So when he heard the jingle of the Mariachi's pants, Sands waited until he was in close range. Sands shot off the bed, intent on wrapping his hands around El's throat and strangling him to death, if not breaking his neck.  
  
But El had been ready. They both hit the floor, and El began fighting for the upper hand and Sands squirmed and threw his fists. But El realized where this anger was coming from. Pure and simple, it was grief and Sands was not thinking clearly. So El found it easy to overpower him and pinned Sands by his chest against the floor, arms behind his back.

"Stop it, Sands!" he growled.

"FUCK YOU! YOU LET THOSE FUCKING CUNTS DO THAT!" Sands screamed.

"They shot her... there was nothing we could have done..." El muttered.

"I do NOT leave my team behind!" Sands yelled. "I do not leave them behind..." Sands' voice softened, too tired and too sore to keep yelling. "I don't leave her behind... I'd die for her..."

El heard these words in the perfect silence of the room.  
  
As Sands spoke, something else happened. There weren't many of them at first, but they were hot and heavy. And they fell hard on his cheeks rolling off to hit the floor. Sheldon Jeffrey Sands was crying.


	19. Faith

Authors Note: I'm terribly sorry for leaving everyone hanging... thanks to all my wonderful reviewers.

Thanks to Scarlett, my partner in crime, for beta-ing and putting up with all my rambling, ideas and what not. ;)

* * *

El had losened his grip. The American's body began to shake after a moment and El looked on in astonishment,letting go of Sands completely. Sandscurled up into a ball on his side, arms wrapped around his middle and his knees drawn up.

And El discovered the source of the trembling. Silent sobs shook Sands' body. El sat back, his back against the bed, and could do nothing but watch Sands. In a twisted sense of pity, he knew exactly what Sands was going through. So he let Sands sob and cry until he couldn't do it any moreanymore.  
  
"Fucking hurts.." ." Sands whimpered, hands over his eyes. El cringed slightly. "Don't you have anything for pain?!" Sands hissed.

El got up, going over to a bag. He'd managed to get clear enough, that when they hit the little town, he found a place that had some over the counter medication and bought some first aid supplies. He took a bottle of painkillers and tossed them to the floor in front of Sands.

Sands snatched the bottle up and managed to get the top off it with out towithout too much of a problem. He downed two of the pills, letting the bottle drop before rolling over onto his back, breathing hard. "I'm going back there, Mariachi, and I'm wasting them all," Sands vowed.

"Would it not be more wise to go after your daughter first?" El asked, sitting on the edge of the bed, hands clasped together.

Sands frowned sourly. "How bout you go save her, and I'll go waste all the fuckers."

"Sands." El prodded him with the toe of his boot and Sands feebly smacked the hand away. "Fine, fine. I see the flawed logic in that," he muttered.  
  
El hesitated, then said very softly, "I'm am sorry about Cerise." He immediately regretted letting the words leave his mouth. Sands shot up, a hand on El's throat, the other drawing a pistol that he shoved under El's chin.

"Don't you fucking say it," Sands hissed dangerously. "Whatever you felt when you lost Carolina, it's nothing near what I'm going through right now!" He shoved El away disgustedly. "This is the second time I've lost her. The second time it's been my fault!" Sands began pacing.

_Oh yeah, it's your fault, you worthless bastard. _

_FUCK OFF! _

_You see, the logic of that plan is simply, it can't happen, because Shelly, I'm that little voice you listen to every time your instinct tells you to pull the trigger.  
_

_Then some fucking help YOU are.  
  
Pull the trigger, Sheldon.  
  
WHAT?! _

_Pull the trigger. End it. You know you wanna. Pull the trigger.  
  
Shoot him?!  
  
No you idiot! SHOOT YOURSELF! _

_Do it! Pull the trigger!  
  
Go fuck yourself!  
  
_He struggled with his mind, trying to get the upper hand of the nasty little voice, but it seemed to be winning.

_I'm not pulling the fucking trigger! I wont fucking commit suicide! I wont fucking die like that! _

_What else are you going to do? You're useless, fucking useless! _

_One of these fucking days you're going to go to far!  
  
Oh, I'll look forward to that day..._

_For your fucking information, El fuckmook is right. My daughter is still out there. I may have failed in saving Cherry, but I am NOT going to lose my daughter! SO GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY MIND AND SHUT UP!_

The little nasty voice clucked, uttered an 'as you wish' and shut up, receding back into the depths of his mind to wait for it's next chance.

"Fuck it." Sands sighed violently after a moment of silence. "We'll do it YOUR way this time, El."

El let go of the breath he was holding silently. The last thing he wanted to do was deal with Sands spiraled downward.

* * *

Cerise came to with a sharp breath. The last thing she remembered was being struck on the back of the head as the room erupted into a panic. She blinked against the bright sunlight that was streaming through the window.

"Easy, Cee."

She heard Sammy's voice and turned her head. Sammy was getting out of a chair by the table, walking towards the bed.

"Alright?" he asked.

Cerise dropped back onto the bed, an arm over her eyes. "I've been better. Where the bleedin' hell are we?"

"A long, long way from that estate. He escaped before Sarah and I could catch him," Sammy said.

Cerise moved her arm and looked at Sammy. "Who?"

"Jeff," Sammy said as if he didn't know who Cerise was talking about.

"What about Sheldon?!" Cerise was sitting up now.

"We couldn't stop him, he and that other man got away..."

"You mean El?"

"I guess that's what his name was."

Realization hit Cerise. "Oh god, Sammy, you're here to arrest Sheldon..." She drew her knees up to her chest.

"Not at first, but when I saw him leaning over you..."

"Oh, don't you dare... NO! That was NOT Sheldon!" Cerise jumped off the bed.  
  
Sammy took a step back, looking at Cerise. "Cee, I saw him with my own two eyes, he was going to shoot you."

"Right Sammy, think about it! Sands got his eyes torn out, kidnapped his own daughter and brought me to Mexico to shoot me..." she hissed.

"I'll admit, it's perplexing, but that's what we saw."

Cerise shook her head. "It wasn't Sands!" She was heading towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Sammy moved to stop her. Cerise had had enough and pulled Sammy's Beretta from his holster. Sammy stopped dead as she held it lightly, but threateningly.

"Sorry to do this Sammy, but I'm not sticking around. I know the truth and I've got to stop him from getting a hold of Sands." She turned, aiming the gun directly between Sammy's eyes. "Don't try and stop me, Sammy. I'm getting crazier by the minute. There's no telling what I might do." She tossed him a saucy grin and winked, unlocking the door.  
  
Opening it, she nearly ran right into Sarah. "Oh, 'ello darling. Take care of Sammy will you? He's in shock and seems to be suffering from a heatstroke. Can't remember what Sheldon looks like." She shoved Sarah into the room and pushed both towards the bathroom at gunpoint. Sarah was too surprised to speak.

"Sorry to do this, you guys, really." Cerise slammed the door shut and propped a chair under the handle. "But you'll understand later on," she muttered. Then she disconnected the phone, rounded up both Sarah and Sammy's holsters, the keys to the rental car, and was about to make a break for it, when she saw the folder on the table. She snatched it up and ran.  
  
As she pulled the car onto the road, she flipped through the file. Some how, she was not surprised by the contents. She'd make it a point to ask Sammy later where they'd been found. She scanned the pages while she drove.

Slamming on the breaks at an intersection, she picked up the pages from Sands' file, all about the Paris operation. It all clicked with her now, why that son of a bitch was doing this. "He fucking came back for you, you bloody psycho," she hissed, flinging the pages back into the passenger seat and flooring the gas. She had to get to Sands and El before they were found, but the question was, where were they?!

* * *

"So what's the plan ol' El?" Sands asked as they walked down the street in the middle of the day, sunlight filtering through the cracks of the eaves and overhangs, touching their skin here and there with warmth.

"There are some men who arrived not soon after us... heavily armed and following."

"Oo, goodie." Sands gave him a sarcastic grin. "But you still didn't tell me what the plan was."

El sighed. "The plan is to get away from them..." He pulled Sands roughly through an open door.

Sands was hit with a wave of sweet incense, and there was a complete silence that he wasn't expecting. "A church?!"

"We'll wait them out," El replied, looking around.

"And if that doesn't work? Remember the LAST time we were in a church? lWell, YOU were in it... I got the hell out."

El turned and looked at Sands, mouth slightly open. "THAT was you!?"

Sands grinned, and put on the accent. "Bless you my son." El shoved him violently towards the front of the church. "Well, you survived, didn't you?!" Sands countered, stumbling, but quickly regaining his balance.  
  
El dragged him down the isle and behind a pew, forcing Sands down on his knees. "Now what?!" Sands hissed.

"Just stay quiet!" El commanded.

Sands flipped him off, but found himself kneeling beside El. It was a strange contradiction. Sands had given up on God a long time ago. He had no need for Him. God had turned his back on Sands, in some of his most desperate moments, but here he was, kneeling at a pew, his hands in front of him.

His next movement was almost, involuntary. He reached up around his neck and undid the clasp of the silver chain, pulling it out from under his shirt. El watched, raising an eyebrow. Then he saw the small silver cross and his eyes widened. Never would he have thought that this man would wear one.  
  
Sands knelt there, the cross between his hands. In the silence, it was a chance to reflect on everything. From the first moment, he'd unknowingly dragged Cerise and Lily into the consequences of a scheme that had backfired. It should have never been about the money. He should have done his job, and nothing else. He shouldn't have ended up confiding in Adjerez. That had been his fatal mistake.

"In all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world, she walks into mine," Sands muttered, shaking his head ruefully.

"What?" El questioned from beside him.

"Nothing, El," Sands replied, before he brought the cross up to his lips, and kissed it. He whispered something that El couldn't hear, and then put the cross back on, tucking it inside his shirt.  
  
They heard the door open and shut, but Sands didn't turn his head. El glanced cautiously over his shoulder and saw the two men. "Cuatro pistolero." El whispered, wondering briefly if Sands knew what he was saying. He got his answer when Sands nodded. In his hands was a compact 9mm, not the cross he'd had a moment before.

Sands listened to the footsteps, the were moving down the isle. He snickered. The footsteps were not cautious enough, meaning these guys were sure they'd have no problem disposing of El and Sands. BIG mistake. The men stopped, three isles away. El was tense beside Sands, he couldn't see how Sands could be so relaxed when they both knew what was about to happen.  
  
Then the men opened fire with their automatic rifles. Sands hit the floor flat on his stomach and rolled under the pew towards the front of the church. He swung his arm around the front of the pew when he came to a rest and opened fire. An agonizing scream was heard as he got one of them in the knee. But the others were smart. They dove behind the pews, avoiding a hit. Sands pulled the trigger again, catching a second in the chest, as El shot the man in the head. The other men opened fire a moment later, destroying the pew Sands was behind. He lay on his stomach, covering his head as the splinters rained down on him.

"MISSED ME!" Sands yelled, jumping to his feet. A hand grabbed him and El yanked him behind the confessionals as the gunmen rained bullets down upon them.

Sands gasped as his shoulder hit the stone wall. El had bandaged it for him, much to Sands' irritation. But he'd done a good job. "All these years of practice, eh?" Sands had asked him, only to get no answer.

"Careful much?" Sands asked him now, but still no answer, instead he heard the cocking of a gun. "Oh yeah," Sands muttered, as if remembering what they were doing and he dropped the compact 9 mm. in his pocket, and pulled his twin 9 mms from his shoulder holster. He turned his head towards El. The Mariachi didn't need to say a thing, Sands knew he was looking at him for the go. _A Man After My Own Heart. _Sands thought. He nodded and El went left, while Sands went right. Both striding around from either side of the confessional, opening fire on the men. When he heard a satisfying thump, he lowered his guns, putting them back in the shoulder holsters. Sands heard the clink-jingle of El as he moved towards him, then stop and crouch.  
  
"Oh is he still alive?" Sands asked in sarcastic concern as he walked towards the man, drawing his gun with each step. The man's eyes widened as Sands stopped directly over him, gun between his eyes. "Start talking, cowboy," Sands said.

The man looked at El. "What he said." El indicated with his head. The man grumbled something and Sands crouched. "Speak up, I can't here you."

"Fuck you!" The man spit in Sands' face, spittle running down the lens of his sunglasses. Sands glared, mouth forming a thin line.

Then with out a word, Sands turned his gun and shot the man in the leg. "Now I can fill you with all kinds of holes that wouldn't kill you right away, so unless you want to suffer a slow and painful death, TALK!"

"What do you want?!" The man shouted back in bad English.

"Where's my daughter?" Sands hissed, jamming the barrel of his gun into the man's forehead. "I don't know, they don't tell us!" the man screamed.

"Not good enough!" Sands shot the man's leg above the first wound. The man screamed.

"Alright, alright! I'll tell you!"

"Whenever you're ready," Sands drawled.

"It's an estate, just outside of town. The old Barillo place."

"Second question, who do you work for?"

The man was withering in agony now but he answered, as he watched Sands run his gun up and down the man's body, almost sensually, showing that he enjoyed toying with the man, but was ultimately deadly. "Sands, his name is Sands," the man replied quickly.

Sands' head whipped around and he hesitated a moment. "Does he have a first name?"

"We just know him as Sands," the man said in desperation.

"How nice, he's a rock star," Sands grumbled.

"Let's go El." Sands stood and stepped over the man, heading for the door. El stood without a word and followed him.

The man on the floor began reaching for his gun. Without hesitation, Sands spun round firing two shots, hitting his target and stilling the man. Sands holstered his gun silently and walked out of the church.

El stuffed the man's wallet in the poor box and followed him. "I know where the old Barillo estate is," El told him.

"Good, good. A little time to make a plan, meet a few new friends and gather some supplies," Sands answered.

* * *

When El came back into the hotel room, Sands was sitting at the old table, shirtless, white bandage on his shoulder, cleaning a gun. There was a rolled cigarette hanging from his lips.

El took a moment. Now he could understand why the man was so quick. Sands may have been tall and lean, but he fast, and his chest toned just enough. This was never a man to underestimate. "Get what ya were lookin for?" Sands asked, the cigarette bouncing between his lips.

"Yes." El answered, setting the guitar case down.

Sands cocked his head to the side ever so slightly, listening to the sound. "Oh THAT'S what you went after..."

"Yes, that."

"Good, all the better." There was a rumble of thunder overhead and Sands turned his head towards the window. "It's gonna rain," he stated, not a question.

"Looks that way...a tropical storm in the gulf."

"Spiffy," Sands answered, as he finished cleaning the gun. El moved over to the other chair and sat down.

"Tell me what happened the Day of the Dead," El said after a moment of silence.

"Go fuck yourself," Sands replied flatly, but El didn't let up.

"Because...Charlie told me..."

"Did he now?" Sands gave El a look as if it really mattered.

"Cerise also told me." El was treading on thin ice now, and he knew it.

"Oh really, and when was this?" Sands hissed.

"When we were...arguing."

"I should have shot you in the hand." Sands drummed his fingers on the table.

"Take off the sunglasses," El said simply.

"Fuck my gun," Sands replied in the same tone.

El sighed, shaking his head. Sands was digging his nails into the wood. Cerise had the habit of speaking before she thought when she was irritated or angry. So if El said Cerise had told him, she probably had.

_Damn it Cherry! _

Sands got up from the table, walking away a few steps. Then he stopped. "You wanna know, El?" he asked. El didn't have to answer, he'd already thrust himself into finding out, he might as well go all the way.

Sands turned and stalked back over to El. He leaned down, face to face with El and reached up. "This is what happened on the Day of the Dead," he hissed, removing the sunglasses.  
  
"Oh my Lord..." El muttered, leaning back as far away from Sands as he could. But Sands grabbed El's neck and pulled him closer. "Like what you see, El?" Sands hissed. "Because I sure as hell don't see ANYTHING!" Sands yelled.

El wrenched himself away from Sands and fell out of the chair with the same movement. He scrambled to his feet as Sands leaned casually against the table, folding his arms over his chest and cocking his head to the side, sunglasses dangling carefree from one hand.

Sands fought to keep the anger out of his voice, when he spoke softly, with a calm drawl, "So tell me, do I look that bad... or just THAT bad?" he asked, gesturing with the hand that held the sunglasses. He always took on that soft, calm drawl when he was really angry. "Say it, El." El couldn't even open his mouth. "SAY IT!" Sands turned and threw the sunglasses against the opposite wall. "I'M DIABLO HIM FUCKING SELF!" Sands screamed. El crossed himself.  
  
After another moment of silence, El spoke. "This is why you needed my help..."

"I don't NEED your help, fuckmook, but you are useful," Sands replied with a gesture.

"I'm not going to be your slave, Sands," El replied hotly.

"I'm not ASKING you to be my slave, damn it!" Sands replied.

El looked at him for a long moment as another rumble of thunder played overhead. El let out his breath slowly, sinking down into the chair again.

Sands had turned his back on him, going over to his bag and searching through it. He came up with another pair of black sunglasses and slipped them on. They were much snugger then the ones Cerise had given him and he could probably expect a headache later on.

"There, now you know the truth. But I'm telling you El... cross me and I'll make your life a living hell!" With that, he turned and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" El asked.

"The bar, I need a drink." Sands answered, slamming the door behind him.


	20. Birthdays

Authors Note: Thanks to my wonderful readers. :)

And thanks **so much** to Scarlett for beta-ing and listening to me ramble so much. :)

* * *

He was almost across the lobby, when he stopped. The scent of rose filled the air very close to him. He heard her voice at the front desk, asking questions and he began walking towards it.

Cerise groaned. Either the old woman didn't know English, or one of them had paid her to stay quiet. Again, she asked the old woman if El and Sands were in the old hotel, still the old woman shook her head and her eyes darted to someone behind Cerise. Cerise turned, finding Sands stepping up to her side. "Sheldon..." She sighed.  
  
Sands grabbed her arm roughly and jerked her towards the front door of the building. Cerise opened her mouth, then closed it, glaring. He dragged her outside and into the alleyway. Pushing her forward, he drew a gun from his shoulder holster. Sands pulled the trigger and heard her yelp. "Jesus, Sheldon!" she snapped. "What in bleedin' hell was that for?!"

Sands drew the gun back slowly but didn't holster it. "The last I knew of you, Stone, you were supposed to have been shot by our gracious host."

"Obviously, you didn't stick around long enough. He got away, before Sammy and Sarah could catch him. He shot the guard that was holding me down."

"And just WHO is he?" Sands demanded.

"Rick Dupre..." Cerise said softly.

Sands stood there very still for a long moment. Then it all clicked. Who else would use his identity? Who else would kidnap his daughter? Who else would even consider using Cerise as a pawn?

"He's trying to frame you for something... I found pages from your file, pages about the Paris Operation."

Sands slowly holstered his weapon. "I heard what he said to you..." Sands said slowly, moving towards her. Cerise leaned against the building, arms around her middle. Sands came to stand very close to her. "He's perfectly crazy, Sheldon. I don't think he would have killed me... but..."

"But he did rape you, didn't he?" When he didn't hear her answer, he knew it was true. Sands sighed and placed a hand on her waist.

"How did you get away?" Sands asked, cocking his head to the side. "Sammy and Sarah actually. They're in Mexico... to bring you back."

Sands snorted. "Figures, just like the Agency. Where are they now?"

"Oh, figuring that it took them at least fifteen minutes to get out of that bathroom, ten more to figure out I'd taken their rental car, another thirty or forty five to get another car, at least an hour to figure out what I figured out...I'd say at least three hours from Mexico City," Cerise answered. Sands and El were in Culiacan.

"Good girl," Sands muttered, leaning into her. Cerise turned towards him, dropping one arm. "No question about if it's really me?" she whispered.

Sands sighed and raised a hand to the back of her head. His fingers sought out the scar on the back of her neck and he lightly traced it. "Who else knows about this..." He murmured. She knew he was right. When it came to identifying marks, he knew hers and she knew his.

He breathed in her scent deeply. "I thought I lost you again..." he breathed.

"Fat chance, you just got me back," she replied tenderly, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"I'm not losing you again," Sands told her, kissing her forehead. "There's no way in hell I could survive that reality a third time," he said with a slight grin, but a hint of pain in his voice, for only her ears to hear.

"I barely survived the first time," she whispered, laying her head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. Above them, the clouds broke and a warm rain fell heavy over the world. Sands and Cerise stood, still in each other's arms, just near the entrance of the alley, letting the rain soak them. It was another rare moment of peace. "Four years ago..." Cerise muttered, turning her face up towards the rain. "London, my birthday."

* * *

_"Let's go, come on." Sands stood in the doorway of the safe house's bedroom, looking at her. _

_Cerise was sitting on the floor against the bed, going through a spread of files. She looked up at him. "What?" _

"_Get up, get your shoes on, we're going out," Sands said again, leaning against the frame. _

_They'd been partners for three years and for Cerise, it was a one sided love affair. Most of the time, she couldn't figure out WHY she'd fallen for this man. He was sarcastic, cynical, not to mention dangerous, and generally enjoyed pissing people off. But then he'd turn around and do things like this and Cerise would have no choice but to fall a little harder for him every time. "Why?" she asked. _

_Sands gave her a look. "You're what, today? 20, 21?" _

_She groaned. It was the 16th of December, her birthday."26, thank you." _

"_Well that only makes you five years younger than me," Sands replied, walking over to her. _

_Setting his cigarette between his lips, he grabbed her arm, gently but playfully and pulled her to her feet. _

"_And where are we going?"she asked, stumbling slightly. _

"_Out, for your birthday. I figure I'll get you unbelievably drunk, screw you and you won't remember a thing." _

_Cerise wasn't sure what she was really blushing at. The idea of getting drunk (this had nasty repercussions in the past) or the idea of ending up in bed with Sands. Either way, she was blushing a dark rose color and Sands was grinning mischievously. _

"_I see you can still blush." He was still holding her arm, which brought her close to him. _

"_Stop it, Jeff," she muttered. _

"_Aww, what's the matter, Cherry?" Her blush grew at the nickname. _

"_If you don't stop, I'll resort to your first name," she answered. _

"_Might have to punish you for it, if you do." Sands winked. _

"_Sheldon!" _

"_That's it!" he stated, his other arm wrapped around her hips, scooping her up, and throwing her over his shoulder. She yelped, eyes wide. He carried her out of her room. _

"_Sands!" she screamed. In the living room, she watched Mac and Sammy stick their head into the hall, to watch. _

"_What's going on?" Sarah asked, stepping out of the kitchen. _

"_She's getting punished," Sands answered as if it were no big deal. Cerise watched in horror as everyone looked at one another, confused or silently laughing."  
_

_Sands kicked the door to his bedroom open, revealing a room unlike the rest of the guys'. Sands belongings were in order, not thrown all over the place, although there was a joint laying in the ashtray on the bedside table and his black jacket was laying on the floor near the chair.  
  
Sands slammed the door shut with his foot and marched over to the queen size bed. He dropped Cerise down in the center, with a plop and straddled her, trapping her to the bed. She squirmed, looking up at him, green eyes still wide. Sands was grinning down at her like the cat who ate the canary. "Punishment," he said simply. Then suddenly he was all over her, fingers tickling every inch of skin he could reach, above and below her clothes.  
  
Cerise screamed, trying to kick, withering under him as he tickled her, but he didn't stop. She was caught between a case of the giggles and a screaming fit as he mercilessly attacked her. Sands watched her as he tickled her, grinning broadly. He was enjoying this. _

_Outside in the hall, Sammy and Mac were standing outside Sands' door, listening. Sarah stood at the start of the hall, with her hand over her mouth, staring widely at it. Mac laughed softly and moved over to Sarah. "Don't worry, luv. He's not gonna hurt her." _

"_No, that's not what I'm worried about. It's what she's gonna do to him," Sarah said, turning her eyes to Mac. _

_Sammy laughed, grabbing Sarah's hand and pulling her close. "Whatever she does, I hope she does it while he's got her out tonight." _

"_He's taking her out?" Mac asked. _

_Sammy nodded. "For her birthday today." _

"_And yet he bought her roses the day before yesterday..." Mac shook her head. "For a man who claims he's not in love, he's certainly acting as if he is..." She said, leaning against the wall. _

"_Yeah, he who swore he'd never fall for his partner," Sammy muttered. _

"_He who swore he wasn't ever going to end up in another relationship..." Sarah added. _

"_I give them two more months," Mac said with a nod. _

"_And after that?" Sarah asked. _

_Mac looked at her. "Only six. She can do better then him." Sammy grimaced.  
  
He continued tickling her for at least ten minutes. Until she was gasping for air, her fingers holding on to his T-shirt. Her chest was heaving and he glanced down at it, before looking back at her face to watch another blush creep into her cheeks. "Alright?" he asked, watching her. "Take your medication today?" He asked, actual concern in her voice. To many times he'd had to help give her a dose when they'd be on an operation and pressed for time. _

_She gave him a look as she gasped for breath. "I've already taken my insulin, yes. Are you going to get off of me?" she demanded. _

"_Oh I don't know," he said as he leaned down, face close to hers. She swallowed, looking up into his golden brown eyes. Then she shoved him off the bed. But his hands grabbed her waist, pulling her with him, as he fell off the bed and onto the floor. She landed on top of him and punched him hard in the shoulder. _

"_Let go, Sands!" _

"_You're right, we've got other plans." He grinned, letting go of her. _

_She got off him and wobbled. He grabbed her from behind to steady her. She didn't say anything, but the way her shoulders relaxed, it told him she was all right. "Now get your shoes and coat," he told her, slapping her on the ass. _

_She yelped and turned on him, slapping him across the face lightly, but Sands just grinned. "Oo... sometimes, Sands." _

"_What happened to Sheldon?" he asked, still grinning. _

"_I'm reserving the right to use it at a later time," she replied, heading for the door. She yanked it open and watched Mac, Sammy and Sarah scamper away from the hallway. She gave them all a dark look and stalked back towards her room, grabbing her tennis shoes and coat. She watched Sands pulling on his leather jacket as he came into the hall to wait for her. _

"_Ready?" _

_She nodded.  
  
They spent the rest of afternoon walking around London, with a storm threatening overhead. Sands said nothing by means of complaining. He didn't intend on it. This was her birthday. Besides, he wanted to be in her company. He had a small idea as to WHY he wanted to be in her company, and it only pissed him off. 'Give in asshole!' A voice screamed. 'You know you want it, and you know you want her!' He ignored the voice. _

"_I grew up there." She brought him out of his thoughts. She was pointing across the street to a corner. A small bakery and an apartment over top. "Mum owned the bakery shop... we lived in the apartment above," she said softly, her eyes dropping to her feet. _

_Sands looked at the shop and the apartment above for a long moment, then looked back at Cerise. He could see she was uncomfortable. This only increased when an older man came out and Cerise began trembling. "Well, better than where I lived," he remarked calmly, dryly, to distract her. He turned and walked away, pausing to wait for her. She said nothing, but followed him. _

_They continued walking and soon climbed the steps of the British Museum. Sands paid for her ticket and they headed into the very quiet, very dark museum. They walked along several rooms, quietly, until Sands couldn't stand the silence anymore. "Well, you certainly know how to celebrate a birthday." _

_She laugh dryly and he looked down at her. "London wasn't the place I wanted to spend it," she said softly, stopping at a case of Egyptian jewelry. Sands sighed quietly, sliding behind her and wrapping his arms around her. _

_She tensed at first, but relaxed after a few moments. It wasn't the first time he'd showed her such attention, but they weren't exactly a couple. They were partners. "Sorry about last night.." he said softly. _

_She shrugged. "Happens." Last night had been an argument, about her safety. _

"_Tell me why you don't like London," He said softly. _

"_Why?" she asked bitterly. "Because my childhood was shit. Because I spent fourteen years being raped daily by my father."_

_Sands hadn't expected to hear that. He closed his eyes a moment, swallowing back the anger. The idea that someone did this to her for such a long time... now he knew where her nightmares came from. Now he knew what he felt for her. "I'm sorry, Cherry," he said quietly, feeling her trembling beneath his arms. He rested his cheek against her hair. _

"_Why don't you love me?" she asked suddenly, pulling out of his arms and turning. There were tears in those dark eyes. _

"_Cerise..." Sands spoke slowly. "We've been through this." _

"_No, I want to know the truth!" _

_Sands stared at her for a long moment. "Cerise, can we please..." He didn't get a chance to finish, she shoved past him, leaving the room. Sands groaned and glared after her, before turning and following. "Cherry!" He caught her on the stairs leading back down towards the main doors. _

_Grabbing her arm, he pulled her back around to face him. She looked up at him, silent tears running down her cheeks. "I'm getting out of the Company," she said suddenly. _

_Sands looked at her. "Why?" he asked, clearly confused. _

"_Because I can't do this anymore." she whispered. _

"_Do what?" He looked into her eyes and almost regretted it. _

"_You don't get it, do you Sheldon?!"she mumbled. "You don't get that I really AM in love with you, not just fucking with your emotions!" she cried. _

_Sands grimaced and followed her outside. He grabbed her arm again, this time, pulling her close and capturing her mouth and kissing her hard. Her eyes had widened but she didn't pull back. Above them, a cold rain broke.  
  
They were soaked in no time. Sands pulled back from the kiss to look up at the sky. He looked back down at her, rain drops dripping off his nose. "Cerise," he said gently, watching her. She looked up at him silently. "Cherry, sweets, I do care about you. It's just... taken me awhile to realize that." _

_He heard her sigh. "I want to hear you say I love you," she whispered. "I NEED to hear you say that, Sheldon. Don't you understand? I feel so lost right now. I'm afraid of falling and no one being there to catch me. If no one's there to catch me..." She looked at him, crying silently. _

_Sands brushed the hair back from her face, he leaned forward and whispered in her ear. "I love you." He meant each word so strongly he couldn't help but repeat it. "I love you, Cerise." He didn't remember when he'd felt this way before, and damn it! He didn't want to lose this feeling. He didn't want to lose her. "I'll be there to catch you, Cherry, forever." _

* * *

"Happy birthday, baby," Sands whispered in her ear, kissing her neck. Cerise sighed, leaning in against him. The warm rain was settling into a drizzle, but they'd both been soaked. Sands turned and leaned against the wall, pulling Cerise with him. She leaned against him, watching what little traffic there was in the street.

"What were you doing before we met up again?" she asked him.

"Heading for a drink." Sands stated flatly. "El really put me off. Speaking of El..." He turned his face to her. "Cerise...did you tell him I was blind?" Cerise grimaced.

"It... came up in an argument," she said meekly.

Sands frowned. "Well, he knows now. Charlie told him as well."

"Charlie... where is the kid, Sheldon?"

Sands shrugged. "Haven't seen him since the hotel..." Sands said slowly.

"Neither have I... but I didn't see him when they were escorting us out..." Cerise frowned. "Sheldon, I think you should call Franky..."

Sands frowned but took his cell phone out. A moment later he had the number dialed.  
  
"No answer..." He hung up the cell phone.

Cerise sighed. "Now I wish I hadn't locked Sammy and Sarah in that bathroom."

"Why?" Sands asked.

"Then we could send them on a run to Franky's."

Sands was quiet a moment. "We may still be able to send someone to Franky's..."

"You mean El?" Cerise asked.

"Yeah." Sands turned his face upwards as if looking at the balcony. "Could work... but Franky would probably shoot him." Sands grinned at that and Cerise rolled her eyes, giving him a sigh. "Hey, I can dream, can't I?" Sands replied, still grinning.

"Let's go get that drink, Cowboy."

"Oh yeah..."  
  
They headed across the street to the bar, which was rather empty at the time so they took two stools in the corner of the bar. "Tequila."

"And for the lady?"  
  
"Bols Gin," Cerise answered, eyes on the door. Sands turned towards her. "Gin? GIN?"

"You know I hate tequila," She spit back.

"Yeah, but gin?"

"Sheldon, I'm British. Brits like gin."

"You red coats are fucking strange."  
  
"You almost married this red coat," She retorted as the rbartender brought the drinks over.

"I'd still marry you..." he said from behind his glass.

Cerise looked at him for a long moment, then decided to propose a challenge. "Then put an engagement ring on my finger, Sheldon."

Sands didn't answer, but she could see the thoughtful look on his face. Cerise went back to her drink as she listened to the rain picking up outside. "I've got a room in the hotel," She told Sands after a few minutes.

"I might just bunk with you..." Sands muttered.

"El getting to you?"

"He's too quiet and too nosey," Sands replied. Cerise laughed softly, taking another drink from her glass.

She fell silent. Sands listened to her breathing from his spot. Without a word, she got up and walked over to a back table, where there was no one. Sands grabbed his drink and followed, his fingers running over the chairs. He pulled one close to her and sit down.

"What's wrong?" he asked softly.

"You know I get depressed on my birthday."

He ran his fingers over her arm lightly. "More than that..." he said gently.

She sighed. "I just... I can't forget him touching me..." she breathed.

Sands sighed, sitting his glass down on the table.

"Can I help?"

She shrugged. "I don't know... I don't know if anything will help."  
  
Sands got up from the table, taking her hand and pulling her to her feet. He knew this bar, it was one for the tourists, clean and almost American. He led her back to the men's room. She didn't protest. Cerise had a good idea of what was going to happen, but part of her was willing to try. She needed to forget what Rick had done, and more than anything, she wanted Sands to be the one to make her forget.

He pulled her into the bathroom and paused to listen. Then he opened a stall and pulled her into it, slamming and locking the door. He pushed her up against the wall, kissing her passionately. Cerise surrendered, hands on his chest, but the rational part of her mind was screaming. When his hand slipped under her shirt, she began trembling and pushed him away. "I can't, Sheldon. I can't..."

Sands cocked his head to the side. He heard the tears in her voice. "Cherry..." He caressed her neck.

She shoved him away. "I can't! I'm sorry!" She fought with the lock and pushed the door open again, leaving the bathroom in tears.

Sands sighed, listening to her leave. It felt like being in the British Museum again. He followed her out of the bathroom and paused at their table. "Seems your girlfriend didn't want your company," he heard the bartender say.

"Which way did she go?"

"Across the street, into the hotel."

Sands tossed a couple dollars on the bar and left, heading across the street.


	21. Rings and Little Girls

Autor's Note: Thanks for the great reviews as always! Hugs

Thanks to my partner in crime, Scarlett for beta-ing this. ;)

* * *

He retraced his steps over to the desk and waited for the woman to come over. 

"Mr. Sands. What can I do for you?" the woman asked.

"I need you to tell me what room Cerise Stone is in."

The woman typed something into the computer. "We don't have a Cerise Stone," she answered after a moment.

Sands frowned slightly. "Cerise Corso," Sands tried.

More typing. "I'm sorry, the only name that's remotely close is Cerise Sands."

Sands grinned. "Room number, please."

"Sir, we're not..."

"Room number," Sands ordered, "and a keycard."

The receptionist opened her mouth to say something but remained quiet when Sands moved the flap of his jacket, revealing the butt of his gun. He heard her whimper and a moment later, she placed the keycard on the counter. "Thanks sugar-butt." Sands took the card.

"Room 212," the woman said softly. Sands said nothing and headed for the stairs.

* * *

He walked slowly down the hall, stopping every five steps at a door to feel the raised numbers. Finally he found 212 and paused, listening closely, hearing no footsteps in the hall. He slipped the keycard into the lock and pushed the door open. He heard running water in the bathroom as he shut the door. 

Pulling the aluminum cane from his jacket pocket, he extended it and moved around the room silently, one hand running over the furniture, while the cane did the work of finding the chair legs and things that could trip him up. His hand found her bag on the bed and he pulled it over, pocketing his cane. Unzipping her suitcase, he went through it and found her syringe wallet. His first thought was to ask her if she'd been taking her medication. He knew she had the habit of forgetting to take it when she was upset.

He heard the water shut off and moved towards the bathroom. He heard her sink into the water, crying softly. Silently, he took off his shoes and socks, leaving them by the door. He also pulled off his jacket and shoulder holster, leaving them just inside the bathroom door. He removed his T-shirt next, dropping it over the top of the holster. He moved through the room noiselessly, fingers along one wall. He found a towel rack as his feet came in contact with the tub's dais steps. He pulled a washcloth off the rack as he sat down on the steps.

Cerise wiped her cheeks off as she leaned back. When a wet washcloth touched her shoulders she started, turning around quickly.

"Shh…" Sands cooed, reaching out with his other hand and drawing her backwards.

"How did you get in here?" she asked, letting him pull her back.

"You were registered under Cerise Sands..." he answered, running the wet washcloth over her shoulder.

She blushed. "I... couldn't resist," she whispered, leaning against the back of the tub.

The tub was large and deep, and doubled as a hot tub. It could fit at least four and on her side it had a small seat. "It fits you,." Sands said softly, running the washcloth over her back.

"Does it?" She whispered.

Sands leaned forward, kissing the top of her head. "Yes it does, baby."

She sighed deeply, feeling his fingers brush over her shoulders. She shouldn't have ran out of the bar. It was a foolish mistake on her part, because the moment she returned to her room and entered the bathroomit's mirror had revealed the collection of bruises she'd received from Rick. Now more than ever she wanted to forget.

Sands sighed and moved to get up, but her hand on his arm stopped him. "Don't..." she whispered softly.

Sands cocked his head to the side. "I didn't think you wanted me to be around right now," he answered.

"Sheldon, please…" She whimpered.

"What?" he asked, trying to keep the desperation out of his own voice. God, he wanted to touch her! He wanted to take the pain away.

"I just need..." she started. "I need you to make me forget..." she breathed.

Sands was silent a moment. "Are you sure you want this, Sweets?"

"Yes…"

Sands stood without a word and shed his jeans and boxers, slipping into the tub with her. She leaned back against him as he wrapped his arms around her, kissing her shoulders from behind. He was going to have to be very gentle with her, not that he wasn't always. He'd learned a long time ago, never to be anything but, in the bedroom. Kissing the back of her neck, above her scar, his hand caressed her arm, until his fingers found her wrists.He frowned when he discovered that the skin around her wrist was raw and torn.

"He bound your wrists?!" Sands asked in a hiss.

"Yes..." She admitted quietly.

Sands swallowed back his anger. He of all people knew you couldn't tie Cerise up. He'd seen her bound, and she was nothing but a scared little girl when she was tied up.

He sighed, frustrated, holding her close. "I'm sorry, baby girl. I'm sorry this happened..."

She pulled out of his arms and turned, kneeling in front of him.

Sands frowned and took her around the waist, pulling her onto his lap. "Don't ever kneel in front of me, Cherry."

"Why?" she asked timidly.

He kissed her neck and ear. "Because you're better than that." He kissed her other ear. "Because I don't deserve you to." His fingers massaged her back lightly, running up and down her spin. She leaned against him, eyes closed. He ran his fingers through her long hair and down her back, he slipped his hand into the water and between her legs. She whimpered. "Shh... I won't hurt you, Cerise. God knows I could never hurt you." He slipped his fingers between her thighs and began rubbing her clit. She squirmed, moaning. He leaned forward and kissed her shoulder, working his way up her neck., He kissed her passionately on the lips, his tongue diving deep. She moaned against his kiss and he deepened it more.

She cried out, when the climax hit her and Sands leaned back, letting her fall on top of him, catching her breath. He held her close, running his fingers through her hair. Then he took her by the waist, and gently slid her down. She whimpered again.

"It's all right darlin'," he whispered gently. The tip of him, pressed into her and he lifted her slightly, sliding her on to him slowly, letting her body adjust to him. He kissed her face, and closed eyes.

Finally he let go of her hips, as she settled over him, his hands moving upwards, gently running over her breasts. She shivered as he caressed and delicately fondled her breasts. He slid a little lower in the tub, raising his hips, allowing him to sink deeper into her. Then he started the rhythm, slow and gentle.

She moaned, her hands on his chest. He pushed the rhythm faster, and it didn't take long for her to find her own.

The climax hit them both, and she fell against him again, gasping.. He held her close, in a tight embrace, putting himself between her and the rest of the world. She lay against him, eyes remaining closed as she breathed heavily.

"I love you, Cerise," Sands whispered in her ear. For the first time in a long time, he needed her to believe him. "I love you so very much!" He didn't mask the desperation behind his voice. "I... I just want to be with you," he breathed. "For the rest of my life. I wanna take all your pain away, I wanna protect you." He heard her sniffle and he tightened his embrace. "I wanna be there for you, and for Lily, and for any other children we have."

She raised back, looking down at him. Sands ran his thumbs over her cheeks, wiping the tears away."Any other children we have?" she muttered.

He gave her his most charming smile. "Well, the way I figure it, if I already have a daughter, I might as well have a son."

She couldn't help but laugh softly. "But then that leaves me with a slight problem..." she said softly.

"Oh, what's that?"

"Remember, Shelly, I'm British, and very old fashion."

"Yes, I know. Ring on your finger," Sands said with a sigh.

Cerise looked at him. She begun running her fingers over his tattoos. First the one on his right arm, then the fleur-de-lis on his right bicep. She knew that tattoo well, the entire team had the same design. They'd gotten it in Paris. Her own was on her hip. She moved her hand up, running her fingers over the skull and cross swords on the back of his right shoulder. She leaned forward and kissed his neck, looking at the rest of his tattoos. She found a few she'd never seen before. On his left bicep was a light colored heart, in a somewhat tribal design; a single red rose in the center of the heart. The heart was held by a thorny vine, a large thorn pricking his skin and a single trickle of blood running down the stem. "This is new..." she said softly, kissing the tattoo.

Sands ran his fingers up her back. "My rose? Yeah... I got it... two years ago... on your birthday."

She ran her fingers over the inside of his arm and turned it gently. She traced over the small bluebird on the crook of his elbow. "And this one?"

"When I got it, at the time, it was for the fact that I would have been a father... now that I know I am... I'll have to update it." He smiled sheepishly.

"And these?" She touched the quarter sized cherries on a steam adorning the opposite forearm.

He grinned widely. "Luck,and my Cherry." He pulled her to him, kissing her. She kissed him back, smilingly a bit. He had two other tattoos on his back, and at least one on his shin that she knew of. And a whole collection of scars. Her fleur-de-lis was the only tattoo she had. He'd had to hold her handand whisper soothing words, while Sammy kept her pinned to the chair as the artist did it.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked her, twirling a lock of her hair around his fingers.

"Us, Lily, this..." she muttered.

He sighed, holding her close. "Baby, things will turn out alright."

"Shelly, you can't tell me you're not worried!" She looked at him.

"Cherry, sweetheart, I AM worried. I just can't show it," he said softly, calmly. "Think about it, baby. Durpe knows how I work... he struck home by taking my daughter. He knows he's turned my world upside down, and unfortunately, it was ALREADY upside down." She sighed, leaning against him. "I'll make him pay for all of this, I swear I will," he whispered.

He stood after a few minutes, grabbing the towels from the towel rack. He wrapped one around her. "I've got to run some errands. I want you to stay here," he told her, grabbing his clothes.

She tucked her towel and looked at him. "Going to tell me what errands you're running?"

"All in due time," Sands replied, as he got dressed.

"You see, now I could use the argument, that you're leaving me in the dark." She leaned against the counter.

"But I'm not leaving you in the dark, I'm just not telling you YET," Sands answered.

"How does that logic work?" Cerise cocked her head to the side, but Sands just grinned at her.

"You'll see." He stole a quick kiss and was heading for the door of her room, stashing the keycard he'd gotten at the front desk in his pocket. "Stay here, and get some rest," he said seriously at the door. She watched him leave.

* * *

El was still sitting at the table when Sands came back into the room. "Get your drink?" El asked him as he entered. 

"Yes and no. I hope you're still wearing your shoes." El raised an eyebrow. "Cause we've got an errand to run. Let's go." Sands stood at the door waiting for El.

El groaned and got up, grabbing his jacket. "Where are we going?"

"No where for you to worry yer pretty little head over," Sands replied with a grin.

When they arrived at the small, dark pawn shop, Santino met them at the door. He was an older Mexican man with white hair, his body short and bent. "Ah… Mr. Sands. Come in." Sands followed the man in, towards the counter. He'd done business with the man in the past, both legal and illegal. "I have those passports," Santino said.

"Good, good. Hold on to them just a little longer."

Santino nodded. "What can I do for you today, Mr. Sands?"

Sands made the appearance of looking around the shop. "I'm looking for a ring."

Santino raised an eyebrow. "A ring in particular or just any old ring?"

Sands leaned against the counter. "You know the ring I'm talking about."

Santino cleared his throat. "I see. That brings us to a little problem, Mr. Sands."

Sands drummed his fingers on the counter. "And what problem is that?" he asked calmly.

"I don't have the ring."

Sands didn't move for a second, but the bored look on his face was enough to tell the old man he was in trouble.

"You don't have it..."

"No."

"And WHY don't you have it?" Sands tapped his forefinger on the scarred wood.

Santino remained calm. "A slight change of plans."

"I told you, to hold that ring, until I came back for it. I did NOT give you the option of getting rid of it!"

Sands voice was the soft and dangerous tone, El had heard in the hotel room and El shuddered, despite himself. He watched the old man fidget.

"Well, I supposed I COULD look..." The man didn't finish, Sands pulled his gun and shot the man between the eyes. "No more deals, Santino, you've fucked me over enough."

"You shot him!" El glared at Sands.

"Cool, isn't it?" Sands flashed him a grin, before going behind the counter. "The problem, El, is the man was a killer himself." Sands stopped, he heard movement in the room above and he had a sickening idea of what it was. This was how well he knew Santino.

"What are we looking for?" El asked Sands.

"Cerise's ring," Sands answered, feeling for the safe.

"Why?" El watched him, as he began prying the dial off the combination.

"Because she's still alive. Because I owe it to her to return this ring."

"You took it from her?"

"I thought she was dead," Sands said simply. "I couldn't keep the ring, it was to much of a reminder."

"And now?"

"Now she's waiting for me at the hotel." El blinked.

"She's alive?" El asked, watching Sands pick at the lock. "Yes... two fellow agents saved her."

El narrowed his eyes. "And you're sure that it is her?"

Sands looked over his shoulder at El. "I know. Trust me." He jerked the door to the safe open and began pulling the contents out. "Fuck-mook, get over here, I need your eyes," he growled.

El glared but moved over to the safe, watching Sands pull out baggies of cocaine and money. Finally he took a jewelry box out and set it on the table next to the safe, opening the lid. "Tell me if there's a antique silver ring, with a round emerald in there. There's a small line of tiny diamonds on either side of the emerald."

El picked through the box, looking at all the rings. He pulled the final drawer out and found a silver antique-looking emerald ring, with a single round stone. "This is it." El held it up.

Sands hesitated, then snatched it from El's hand, taking a moment to feel it out. He knew it had to be the ring. He slipped it on his little finger for now and turned to leave. Then another thump came from above and Sands swore. "We'd have to come on market day..." he grumbled.

"Market day?" El questioned. Sands was heading for a back stairwell, running his hand along the wall, the other drawing one of his 9 mm's.

"Yeah... dealing in little girls," Sands answered, climbing the stairs slowly. El was right behind him.

Sands edged towards the door, listening intently. There were three men's' voices in the room , accompanied by soft whimpering. "Try not to shoot any of the kids," Sands hissed, before he kicked the door open, drawing his other gun at the same time.

Two of the three men spun around, dropping as Sands pulled the trigger. The other rushed Sands, knocking him back into a wall. Sands kneed the man in the groin before driving the palm of his hand up and into the man's face, hearing a satisfied crack. The man fell back, dying slowly. "Where are the girls?" Sands questioned, holstering his guns.

"There in a cage, I can't get the lock off," El replied, trying to figure out how best to remove the lock. Three girls, the youngest around four, were huddled in the far corner, staring at the two men.

Sands came over and felt the lock. Then he crouched down, pulling the leather wallet from his pocket. He gave the girls a warm smile. "No worries, sweethearts, we're here to get you out," he told them softly, soothingly.

El crouched beside the bars, closet to the girls. They looked at him He returned their look with caring and compassion in his eyes. "We're going to take you to safety. What are your names?"

The oldest, who was maybe ten, looked at the other two, then spoke softly. "Maria. And this is Nina, and Suelita."

Sands raised his head. "Spanish for Lily,"he said with a grin. Maria grinned.

"She's the littlest, four years old."

"Are you sisters?" El asked.

"Yes..." Maria answered.

"Where's your parents?" Sands asked as he worked on picking the lock.

Nina sniffled. "Our Madre y Padre son muerto... last month in the revolución."

El shot Sands a dark look. Sands didn't show any signs of understanding, but internally, he grimaced. He got the lock off and threw it over his shoulder. It hit one of the men in the forehead. With El's help, he pulled the door open. The girls scrambled out towards them, except the four year old.

"She's scared," Maria said.

Sands turned back to her. "Come on, sweetheart…" He cooed, coaxing her out. The little girl peered at him intently. "No one's going to hurt you, luv," He told her earnestly. He crawled into the cage with her, slowly. "Come on. You can trust me." He held out a hand. The little girl hesitated, then threw her arms around Sands' neck. Sands sighed internally, beginning to feel like a kid magnet.

He got out of the cage, carrying the little girl.

"Where can we take them?" El asked.

Sands paused. "We'll take them back to the hotel for right now. Until I can get a hold of Father Juan."

"Father Juan?" El questioned.

"Yeah." Sands shot him a look. "He's a friend of mine."

"A priest?"

"Yes, a priest. Did I stutter when I said Father?" Sands questioned. El shook his head and followed Sands as he started for the door. Nina grabbed El's hand tightly, with no intention of letting go. Maria took Sands' free hand.

They headed down the stairs, which was mistake number one. Three men were filing through the door and upon seeing Sands and El with the girls, they opened fire. Sands dove behind the counter, putting Suelita and Maria in a niche. Nina scrambled into it with them and as Sands stood, he opened fire. El had already dropped one of the men and Sands dropped the other two.

Someone outside with a machine gun opened fire and Sands and El dropped behind the counter with the girls. The youngest two began crying. "Shh… shh, it's alright," Sands reassured them, while trying to listen for the gunman. "Do you see him?!" Sands demanded from El.

"Sort of," El replied, watching through the window. Footsteps came closer and Sands stood, turning as he opened fire. The gunman fired back but hit the floor with a cry of pain. Sands shot once more, and the man was silenced. "Lets go." Sands picked up Suelita again, and Maria grabbed his hand. Nina took El's as they left the pawn shop.


	22. To Know You're Alive

Authors Note: Thanks to my wonderful readers, you really do keep me going!

And thanks especially to Scarlett, my beta reader. Couldn't have gotten this far with out you!

* * *

Cerise got up from the bed at the knock on the door and moved over to it , removing the desert eagle from her bag. She left the chain on the door, and opened it as far as it would open. What met her was Sands and El, with three little girls. 

"Hi ya Cherry." Sands gave her a grin.

Cerise shut the door with a groan and unlocked it completely, moving away so that they could come in . She put her pistol back in her bag as Sands and El came in with the girls. "What is this, Sheldon?"

"I thought we could adopt," Sands said with a grin.

"Seriously."

"Seriously, we rescued them," Sands replied.

"From what?"

"A grease ball that would have sold them for sex." The younger two children began crying and Maria gasped.

Cerise looked at them. They were covered in bruises and cuts and looked under fed.

"No, no! Please!" Maria cried.

Cerise moved over to the girls and knelt in front of Maria., "No, it's all right, luv. You're safe now," Cerise said softly, touching the girl's face. "What are you names?" "Maria, Nina and Suelita." Maria answered, looking at her sisters.

"Are your hungry?" Cerise asked them.

Maria looked at the other girls, then back at Cerise. "Yes..." she whispered. Cerise nodded and stood, moving over to El and Sands.

"I'll go get some food," El said softly.

"Good idea," Sands said sarcastically. Cerise gave El a sympathetic look and El nodded, heading for the door.

Cerise turned to watch the girls climb into the middle of the bed. "Are you a mother?" Nina asked, looking at the teddy bear in Cerise's bag.

Cerise smiled wearily. "Yes, I have a little daughter, Lily,." Cerise answered, the girl giving her a big smile. "Where are you parents?"

"Dead,." Sands answered. Cerise looked at him. "Last month, the coup de grace."

Cerise sighed. "I see. What's your plan, Sheldon?"

"I'm going to try and get a hold of Juan. He can help them." Cerise smiled slightly, going over to a chair. Sands crossed over to the phone and dialed a number. Cerise sat, watching the girls, who curled up together at the head of the bed, as she half listened to Sands talking to Father Juan.

The girls huddled together, the youngest between them and Cerise had to turn away, running the back of her hand over her cheek. She couldn't help but think about Lily and pray she was all right. God, she just wanted her back! How Rick could do this to her, to them?!

"Juan says he'll be here as soon as he can," Sands told her, bringing her out of her thoughts.

"Alright," Cerise answered. She got up, walking over to the balcony and going outside into the evening air. She heard Sands follow and close the balcony door.

"Cherry..."

"I just... I'm tired Sheldon." He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. She leaned back against him. "And I... Shelly, she's out there, and I want her safe!"

Sands sighed, holding her tight, resting his chin on the top of her head.

After a moment of silence, he turned her around, taking her hands. "There's a reason I left this evening."

"Yes, you said you had some errands to run," Cerise said dryly.

"Well only one," Sands replied with a grin. He took something off his finger, and took her left hand. Without a word, he slipped the ring on her finger.

Cerise gasped. "How... where did you get this?!" She looked at him wide eyed.

He gave her a sheepish grin. "I took it... that night... when you put it up, because you didn't want anything to do with it any more... I stole it."

"You stole it..." She sighed.

"You know I hate it when we argue," Sands muttered.

"Even then."

"I only put up the ring because I was annoyed with you," Cerise muttered.

"Well, I didn't think you were annoyed with me anymore," Sands replied. Cerise looked down at the ring, considering what it had once meant. "That is, if you really do still wanna marry me,." Sands mumbled.

She rolled her eyes. "Of course I still want to marry you."

"Then I've given you back your engagement ring." He kissed her ear. She leaned on him, her arms wrapped around his neck.

* * *

El came back with some food and the girls dove in. Sands leaned against the balcony railing, lighting a cigarette. Cerise was sitting in one of the two chairs on the balcony, watching the girls with El. She had to admit, he had a way with kids. He must have been a good father. She glanced at Sands, who was listening to the sounds of the street as night set in. 

He exhaled the smoke slowly, savoring it a moment. He could feel Cerise looking at him and turned slightly on the railing to face her. "What's up, Cherry?"

"I'm just thinking."

"About?"

"All of this. I really am getting out of the CIA... I figure I can put my teaching degree to use," she said softly.

Sands smirked slightly. "Well, you've always wanted to teach kindergarten," he recalled softly.

"It would give me a better chance at keeping Lily safe."

"What, you don't trust me to keep her safe?" he baited, with a slight smile. But Cerise knew him well enough. He also wanted to know the truth. She got up, crossing over to him and running her fingers over his cheek. He turned his head enough, to kiss the palm of her hand.

"I trust you with her life, Shelly. I trust you with mine," she whispered. He rested a hand on her waist.

"You know you'll never have to look over your shoulder," he said.

"But do you trust me?" she asked him.

Sands froze. He turned his face to her, mouth parted slightly. "I..." he started to answer, but paused, torn in half. Part of him trusted her with everything, the other part told him never to trust anyone, with anything.

Cerise sighed silently, then leaned forward and kissed him tenderly. "In due time," she whispered. Sands sighed.

"I was thinking," she said, changing the subject. "I've still got a few... 'friends' in the Agency, and we could use some 'supplies.' What if I make arrangements for a dead drop?"

Sands thought on this a moment. "Yeah... could be useful. Do that."

"Right. Make up a list of what you think we could use and I'll get on the line," she said, watching a car pass below. "What about those pages, Sheldon?" "Do you still have them?" He asked. "Yes." "Good, hide them. We'll do something with them later." He answered. Cerise nodded.

They fell silent again for a moment, then Sands asked, "What ever happened to our ghoul, Roger?"

"Um..." Cerise pinched the bridge of her nose. "He retired, about... two years ago, why?"

"Just wondering. I don't know... this whole business has got me thinking about our team," he told her.

She laughed softly. "It was quiet a team," she said.

"True, at least you never worked as a swallow."

"I wouldn't have been able to pull it off," she answered. "Mac is far better at it then me." Sands grinned broadly at the thought and Cerise eyed him. "I dont' even wanna know about that grin," She said.

He turned his face to the sky as a cool breeze blew over them. "Fifteen years I worked for the Company, and now this shit." He sighed.

Cerise leaned against him. "You have to admit, Sheldon, you were one hell of a controller when it came down to it."

He grinned widely. "I was one of the best, thank you."

She laughed softly. "Yes, you ARE." She kissed his cheek and left his side, going back inside the hotel room.

* * *

Sands waited until he heard the click of the door closing before he moved over to the two chairs and little table. Now that he was alone, he had time to let it all sink in. 

His fingers were already digging the little pocketknife out of his pocket and he pulled up his right sleeve. He couldn't get rid of the frustration, regret and general depression that kept sneaking up on him. He couldn't shake the feeling that he'd let them down. Let Cerise and Lily both down from the very beginning. From the alley way, till now. So he began cutting, with out any thought. He needed the distraction and it was a welcome one. He didn't even stop when he heard the door open and close again, or her sigh.

Cerise moved over to the other chair and sat down, watching him. When she reached over and took the hand that was resting on the table, Sands stopped cutting. He put the pocketknife down on the table slowly, but didn't turn his head towards her yet. "You want to tell me what that was all about?" She asked softly.

"Mm, not really," Sands replied, but the thumb of his hand stroked her fingers lightly as she held his hand.

"I wish you wouldn't do that," she whispered.

"It's what I do, Sweets. You know that by now. We've had this conversation before!" His tone was a bit harder then it had been before and Cerise sighed, knowing he was right. They had had this conversation before.

_They were on a solo operation, the rest of the team back in the States. Set up in a safe house in Prague, they'd had a disastrous argument that night.._

* * *

"_Oh you are a cold hearted bastard!" Cerise cried, tears running down her cheeks. "You lock yourself off from everyone! You don't give a damn about anyone's feelings!" _

"_You know WHY?! You know WHY I lock myself off?!" Sands shouted back. Why was he shouting?! He never shouted when he was angry! When Sheldon Jeffrey Sands was pissed off, his voice was very soft and very calm. So WHY was he shouting?!_

"_Why?!" she demanded, wiping her cheeks off and glaring. _

"_Because I can't stand emotional fuck wits, like you!" Sands replied with a snap. _

_He stumbled back from the crack, as her hand struck him across the face. He blinked, staring at her in surprise. Her small frame shaking. With out another word, she turned on her heel and stormed down the hall towards the other room. Sands stood there for a long moment, anger bubbling deep within him. What the hell had they been fighting about anyway?! _

Then it dawned on him. They'd woken up in bed together. They gotten so incredibly drunk, that Cerise didn't' remember the events between the third bottle of champagne and waking up nude and tangled in his arms. He hadn't been wearing any clothes himself. He wasn't positively sure if they'd done what he thought they did, but he did remember having some serious make-out time with her. And he had to admit that, he liked the way she tasted. So chances were, they probably did have sex.

_He sighed and headed for the balcony, grabbing a bottle of scotch and a pack of cigarettes. He lit a cigarette and pulled the cork out of the bottle, taking a long swig from it. Now he was pissed at himself. As much as he hated to admit it, and he hated to admit it a lot, he knew how fragile Cerise was. Hell of a contradiction. She was a good officer, knew how to get the job done right, but she was fragile. Her emotions were always in a state of overload. He really did hate it when he was the cause of her emotional turmoil. Since she'd become his partner, she was one of the very, very few who had gotten past his walls. And he liked her, a lot. Hell, he probably even loved her, but didn't want to admit it. _

_Sands pulled the butterfly knife from his pocket and flipped it open. It'd been a few months since he'd done what he was about to do, but he felt the great need to do it right now, and he didn't feel like denying himself the pleasure. Or pain, however you wanted to look at it. Taking another long pull of scotch, he began cutting at his left arm, near his elbow. He heard her coming out on the balcony. Heard her gasp. "Go away, Cherry. You shouldn't have to see this." _

_She didn't move for a long time. Finally she spoke. "Tell me one thing." Her voice was soft, strained. " Tell me why?" _

_Sands frowned. God, he hated that question in relation to his cutting._

"_Doesn't matter why," he answered. He stopped cutting and turned to look at her, flexing his fingers to get the blood flowing. She stared back at him, straight into his eyes. He loved the color of her eyes. "This is something I do Cerise, get used to it," he said simply. "No one's going to change it." _

* * *

"Do you know why I cut?" 

Sands brought her attentions from her thoughts and she turned back to him. "Why?" she asked softly.

He sighed. "Because it's an escape. From the pain, the frustration, the depression... the guilt." He heard the door open again and Cerise watched El come out on to the balcony. But Sands didn't' stop talking like she had expected him to. "I cut, to remind me I'm still human."

"How can you still be human when you kill mercilessly?" El questioned from his spot. Sands felt the great need to roll his eyes, but proceeded to flip El off.

He got up from his chair, moving towards El. "You don't get it, do you?!" El glared. "I wouldn't expect you to."

"The things you've done are a crime!" El stated. "Better men have been put away from far less crimes, yet you're still wandering free."

"Oh yes, I'm still wandering free," Sands bit back. "You know WHY?!"

"Why?"

"Because I have a license to kill! Yep, ol' El. I get PAID to do it. The CIA pays me to do what I do. I do it well."

"How can anyone pay someone to kill?"

"Because that's what they do! That's the thing, El, that's what the CIA does. All that bullshit about a few good men... they don't turn out good men, El. They look for those who are willing to kill. Those who don't mind killing. Who WANT to kill. They take those people and they train us, they hone that skill. They turn us into what they want us to be. Machines. Mind you, not everyone turns out that way," Sands pointed to Cerise. "But the rest of us. The rest of us are willing to do WHATEVER it takes, to lie, deal, steal, and kill." El stared at him, searching for the right words. "Willing to lose everything." Sands hissed, one fist was clenching. "Their careers, their lives, their family, for the good of the mission."

Without another word, Sands turned around and went back over to his chair, flopping down. He lit another cigarette and exhaled slowly, taking the cigarette from his lips. "There for, I cut to remind me that I can still, at least, bleed," he said, letting silence settle.


	23. Desperado

Authors Note: I've still got to thank you guys for your awesome reviews. And lots of rum chocolate for my new readers!

Thanks to Scarlett for beta'ing this. No one makes a better partner in crime. ;)

Note: I do not own _Desperado _by The Eagles.

* * *

El didn't move until he heard a knock on the door. Without saying anything to Sands, but glancing at Cerise, he went back into the room, and over to the door. The girls looked at the door, then back at El, who gave them a reassuring smile. He unlocked the door slowly, opening it a crack.

The man that was standing in the doorway was tall and lean;, an older man, his black hair had grey at the temples and he was wearing black framed glasses. "I guess I have the wrong room," he said.

"Nope, this is where you wanted to be, Father." Sands came from the balcony, grinning. El looked between the two men.

Father Juan smiled and slipped into the room past El. "Sorry it took so long Jeffrey."

Sands shook his head a moment. "No worries, Father."

Father Juan turned to the three girls. "These are the girls, then," he stated, it wasn't a question. He moved over to them, his appearance to the girls was one of kindness, and he smiled warmly as he knelt before them.

"Yep." Sands finished off his cigarette.

The father nodded and looked at the girls. "Are you alright?" he asked them.

Maria nodded. "They helped us." She looked at El and Sands.

"They're good men," Father Juan said with a nod. Sands shifted in his position. Cerise smirked behind him and shook her head. Father Juan spoke softly to the girls and they agreed to go with him, uttering good-byes to the other three. Sands and the priest exchanged a few words by the door, then they left.

"Well, I guess that leaves us all alone again," Sands said, turning from the door.

"So?" El replied in a bored tone.

Sands grinned. "Come as you are, come as you were, as I want you to be. As a friend, as a friend, as an old enemy. And I swear, that I don't have a gun, no I don't have a gun." Sands replied, moving past him. El glared at him, trying to make sense of it. Sands stopped by the door to the bathroom, barely turning his head over his shoulder. "Nirvana, El." With that, he went into the bathroom, shutting the door. Cerise shook her head and looked at El. "Nirvana is his favorite band," she explained. El just sort of nodded.

* * *

She came back from fetching Sands' stuff from the other room and locked the main door behind her, moving towards the bathroom. She knocked on it lightly. "Sheldon?"

"It's unlocked," he answered. She opened the door and peaked in. Sands was sitting cross-legged on the large counter, in front of the mirror, his face against the cold glass.

"Shelly?"

He didn't move, but answered. "What Red?"

She hesitated a long moment, biting her lip, then asked. "Are you alright?"

He sighed. "I'm tired," he answered.

She went over to the counter and leaned against it in front of him. He unfolded his arms and rested them on her hips. "It's been a long couple of days," she muttered. Sands leaned forward, nuzzling her neck.

"It's made it easier, knowing I have you again," he mumbled in her ear.

* * *

Sands had fallen asleep a while ago, but Cerise was having trouble. She was sitting on the edge of the bed, looking around the dark room. She spotted Sands guitar by the bathroom door and got up, moving over to it. Picking it up, she walked back over to the bed and sat down softly. It had been years for her, since she'd even attempted to play the guitar, but she did play the piano very well. Her mother had required her to learn.

Quietly, she ran her fingers over the strings, finding the right cords, and began strumming softly.

_"Desperado, oh, you ain't gettin' no youger  
Your pain and your hunger, they're drivin' you home .  
And freedom, oh freedom well, that's just some people talkin'  
Your prison is walking through this world all alone."_

She sang softly, unaware that Sands was awake behind her. He smiled slightly and moved slowly in the bed, sliding behind her. She had a beautiful singing voice. Leaning forward, he put his hands over hers. "Wrong cords," he whispered in her ear, kissing it. He slid his fingers under hers and began playing the right keys. She leaned back against him, letting him play. Sands nuzzled her neck, breathing in her scent deeply.

After a few moments, he moved the guitar, setting it next to the bed, wrapping his arms around her waist. They sat there for a long silent moment, until Cerise pulled away. She didn't know what made her do it. But she got off the bed, moving over to the window, crying. Sands sighed and got out of bed after her.

"Baby girl..." he spoke softly to her, coming up behind her. "Every time I think I can get ahead of this shit, something like this happens." She choked on the tears.

"What like this has happened before?" he asked, resting a hand on her hip, hesitantly.

"A year ago, HE found me... I went to pick Lily up from her baby sitter, and he was there." Sands sighed. The next person he killed, would be her father, he vowed that now.

She began sobbing and Sands pulled her into his arms, holding her. "I hate this!" she cried.

"Oh... it's not all that bad,." Sands said lightly, offering a weary half smile. She sniffled and Sands stroked her cheek. He felt the tears slipping down her cheeks and tilted his head slightly. "You know, silent tears are dangerous," he said softly.

"Why?" she whispered.

"Because I can't calm your sobs, if I can't hear them." She closed her eyes, sniffling again. "Would you rather I sob?"

"I'd rather you not, but if you have too... I want to know." She didn't hold back, she began sobbing again. Sands clung to her, the only way he knew how; one arm wrapped around her waist, the hand in her hair, holding her close.

She sobbed until she was unable to cry any more, feeling emotionally tired. He felt her sobs slow until he couldn't feel her shaking anymore. He whispered in her ear, "Come to bed with me." She only nodded, eyes still closed. He leaned down and pulled her up into his arms, carrying her, keeping her head nestled against him. She let him,; she just wanted to forget it all, at least for a night. He laid her out on the bed, and pulled her clothes slowly from her, leaving her in her bra and panties. She had the crook of her arm over her eyes, blocking out what little light there was. Her face was flushed from all the crying.

He pulled off his shirt, shimmied out of his jeans, and crawled up on the bed next to her, moving her arm gently from her face to kiss her lightly. He pulled her into his arms, waiting for her breathing to steady. He wasn't going to sleep yet. She lay against him, listening to the howl of the wind outside as another storm began brewing. A hurricane in the gulf moving closer. He let his fingers tangle in her hair, combing it out with each stroke. "Are we going to survive this?" she whimpered.

"We have before," he answered.

"This, Sheldon! Not running any more operations, sticking it out against the enemy!"

Sands sighed.

"Just one more thing for us to say we conquered in the end, sweetheart."

"And if I don't make it?"

"Don't forget I'm in this with you."

"How could I forget?" she muttered, looking out the window at the rain.

"You said I, not we. It's we, sweets." She turned her head and looked at him.

"You know this is all because I chose you and not him..." she murmured.

"And I swear I'll keep him from you. You're not his and I told you a long time ago, you'd never have to look over your shoulder, with me. Not Dupre, not your father, not Monterio, not Maxell, no one can take you from me."

She sighed, "It's not THAT easy."

"I think I figured that out. But I can try can't I?!" he said, biting back his words, trying not to say the wrong thing.

"I don't have much say in this issue now do I?!" she sniped, looking away. Sands didn't say anything, but he continued to hold her. Cerise bit her tongue to keep from saying something she'd regret, a slight whimper escaping her lips.

"We should get some sleep baby," he murmured into her hair.

"I'm not tired," she muttered.

He sighed softly to himself. "Then we should find a way to amuse ourselves."

"Guess so," she breathed.

"It's up to you." He watched his words carefully.

She shrugged, moving against him. His hold on her tightened. She almost felt like pulling away from him. He listened to her breathing, hoping she'd fall asleep. She sighed deeply, and turned herself to snuggling against him. "C'mere baby," he whispered in her ear.

She clung to him. "This can't keep up..."

"Only a matter of days and we'll be out of here luv, with our daughter. I promise, I swear it."

"I hope I'm still sane..." She exhaled into his shoulder.

"If not, you'll still be my true love, the woman I wanna marry."

"Just promise not to put me in a mental hospital."

Sands snorted, grinning grimly, he kissed her on the forehead. "I'd never do that." She shuddered, pushing the thought out of her head. "I would NEVER do that, Cherry. I can't let you away from my side." She sighed, yawning, closing her eyes again. "Go to sleep baby."

"Don't leave my side?" she asked.

"Never," he answered, holding her as close as he could possibly manage. She nodded, letting herself fall asleep. Sands didn't sleep, stroking her hair, considering everything they'd just said.

"No one's taking you from me..." he whispered in her ear as she slept.


	24. The Traitor Revised

Author's Note: The edited verson of this chapter.

xXStoneXx: In the last chapter when Sands didn't answer Cerise about trusting her. This is why. Sands trusts Cerise as much as he can possibly trust someone, which is very hard for him. And in chapter 23, things have gotten very serious, so yes, he was questioning his own trust of her. THAT's why he didn't answer her. But she knows. And she understands.

Lynx: I'm British myself, and I come from a very...traditional family. The bit about the ring, is a bit of an inside joke between myself and my fiance(who's very much like Sands.)

And to those of you who have felt that Lily hasn't been thought of much. Trust me, Cerise thinks of her constantly. It's a very hard thing for a mother to go through, having a child kidnapped. I myself have never had it happen, so I wont fathom to know what it's like, but I try in this story. Please forgive me if Lily isn't brought up as much as she should. But remember, Sands and Cerise have been apart for three years. This story is as much about their love as it is about the race to save their daughter's life.

* * *

El chose to get up when the bells of the church began ringing the next morning. He'd gone to sleep while he'd considered everything he'd heard and seen. Sands was a strange contradiction. One moment he was a crazy, merciless killer, and the next he was a deep philosophical man, wanting nothing more then to live. El shook his head. It was all too confusing to dwell on. He was about to consider a shower when someone knocked on his door.

With a muttered curse, he glared at the door , before crossing over to it. A pistol in one hand, he opened the door a crack. Charlie looked up at him, a black eye gracing his face. El frowned but put the pistol up, opening the door wider. "I'm...I'm really sorry to bother you." Charlie stammered,

"But... but I didn't have anywhere else to go."

"What happened to you?" El asked as the boy entered the room.

"Well, when they discovered you and Sands had gotten away, they let me go..."

"Let you go..." El looked at him.

"Yes... they said that they didn't need or want me, but they beat the crap out of me anyway."

"Have you seen Sands yet?" El asked, watching the boy.

Charlie looked at him wide eyed. "No! I mean, no offense, but that man scares the shit out of me." He suddenly clapped his hand over his mouth at the fact that he'd spoken a swear word. El shook his head.

"What about Cerise?"

Charlie blinked. "She's dead... I mean, they killed her, didn't you know this?!" El was silent for a minute. He had a feeling it would better if Charlie didn't know that this wasn't true. At least for the meantime.

El sighed. "All right, stay here. I'll be back soon." El hesitated, his case was under the bed, but he wondered if Charlie would snoop around. Something about all this wasn't right. "Alright," Charlie muttered, going over to the bed and sitting down, his hands folded in his lap. El glanced at him and frowned a bit. No, something was most definitely not right. He would have expected this kid to be totally freaked out, but he was far too calm. El quickly left the room. The plan, was to go to Sands. He paused in the hallway, contemplating if this was the best course of action with the way Charlie was acting. He made up his mind and headed for Sands and Cerise's room. Glancing around, he knocked on the door.

* * *

Sands was still awake when the knock came. He frowned deeply and pulled the 9mm from under his pillow, getting out of bed slowly. Cerise whimpered in her sleep as she shifted. Sands paused, making sure she wasn't waking up, then he got up, moving to the door. He cocked the pistol again and felt for the locks. When he had them undone, he opened the door and shoved the gun into the face of whoever it was. 

"It's me," El said in a harsh tone.

"Well, in case you've forgotten," Sands snapped back in a bitter whisper, "I can't see! What do you want?"

"We need to talk." El said calmly.

"About?" Sands replied bored, but he'd opened the door a little more.

"Charlie..." Sands frowned and stepped out into the hall, pulling the door closed behind him.

"What about the whelp?" Sands questioned.

"He's currently in my room," El said.

"Oh really. He's still alive, is he?"

"Yes... he looks a little worse for wear, but he's still alive." El watched Sands frown more.

"So why didn't he look for me first?"

"Maybe cause you've scared the shit out of him." El replied.

Sands grinned broadly. "Well, my work here is done then." Sands raised his eyebrows amusingly.

El was not very amused. "It just doesn't seem right... he's too calm... and he believes Cerise is dead."

Sands processed the information. "I see..." he muttered, his inner voice sneering at the word 'see'.

"Could he have been sent by the enemy?" El asked.

Sands rubbed his temple. "The kid's too dumb..." he muttered. El shifted, letting Sands think.

"But then again..." Sands cocked his head to the side as certain things were beginning to dawn on him, such as the kid's reaction to Cerise when they first met. "El, don't let him out of your sight. I don't trust the bastard."

El glanced down the hall. "If he's on their side, what do we do with him?" he asked Sands, looking back to him.

Sands grinned dangerously. "We'll use the little rat, till he's of no use to me." El frowned. "And El, don't tell the kid she's alive." With that, Sands went back into the room and, El headed back to his own.

"Who was it?" Cerise was pulling on a T-shirt when Sands came back into the room.

"You're supposed to be sleeping..."

"You got out of bed..." She retorted.

Sands tossed her a grin. "It was El," He told her what El had told him.

Cerise frowned. "Charlie... the kid?! I mean..."

"Don't put it past him, Cherry," Sands said, grabbing his clothes.

"I just can't... the idea that Rick would do any of this... you saved his life..." Cerise stated.

Sands sighed, turning part way to her. "As you said last night, the biggest part of this is about you," He said.

She choked back her tears. "But did he have to use Lily?" she demanded.

Sands pulled on his shirt and buttoned a few of the buttons, before he came over to Cerise. "Sweets. I've got all kinds of questions, Baby, but they'll have to wait."

"I swear, this is all gonna kill me!" She sighed deeply. Sands ran his hand up her arm and kissed her on the forehead.

"You're not allowed, you hear me?" He echoed her words.

They were stopped from saying anything else when the door flew open. Sands felt the shot ruffle his hair as it flew past him. He fired off one shot before Cerise grabbed his arm. "GOD FUCKING DAMN IT!" She screamed. "SAMMY YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE!"

Sammy Iokie grinned as he holstered his gun. Sands growled and fired another shot at Sammy's foot. "Watch it Sands, these are new shoes!" Sammy snapped.

Sands grinned nastily. "Knowing you, I'm sure they're the ugliest things on the face of the earth."

Sammy rolled his eyes, "Whatever."

Sammy entered the room and shut the door. "Where's Sarah!?" Cerise demanded.

"She's on a run for some information for us," Sammy replied, going out on the balcony and looking up and down the street.

"What do you mean 'us'?!" She bit. Sammy came back into the room.

"I believe you now, Cee. I saw him too..." Sammy said.

"Who?" Sands asked.

"I...I don't know. But Jeff, he looks just like you!"

"It's Rick," Cerise said softly. Sammy looked at her, wide eyed.

"I saw his tattoo... on the back of his neck.Our tattoo…" Sammy looked at his wrist, then back at her.

"So you're on our side..." Sands stood loosely, but he was still holding the gun. Sammy glanced at it a moment before answering. "Yes, Jeff. Team ethics remember?We don't leave our own to fight alone."

Sands grinned slightly. "You realize of course, I'll shoot you if I find out otherwise."

"Yes, Jeff, I do," Sammy answered.

"Just checking." Sands walked over towards the table, where his suitcase was sitting.

"Wait, hold up..." Sammy was slightly confused.

"What?" Sands questioned.

"You're just going to believe me that easily?"

"Nope," Sands answered. "I don't believe a single fucking word you say. But you're useful, so…" He let the sentence hang. Sammy scowled, but knew he should have known better.

"Do me a favor, Sammy,." Sands said, pulling his discman from his bag.

"What?"

"Take Cerise out to breakfast. I need to think alone," Sands replied, putting the headphones on. Cerise sighed. She knew better than to argue. Sammy opened his mouth, but they could already hear Nirvana blaring from the headphones as Sands flopped down onto the bed, lying on his back. "Come on Sammy." Sands did his best thinking this way. Sammy sighed and followed Cerise towards the door. "We'll catch up with Sarah," he told her. Cerise nodded, making sure the door was locked.

* * *

Sands lay there, awake, listening to 'Rape Me' as it pounded in his ears. Now was his chance to think. It was the only way to think for him, his mind turning over all the information. If Charlie wasn't on the other side, then HOW did he find him and El? How did Dupre know where they were to begin with? Sands frowned deeply. There was no other answer for it,; the little bastard was on Dupre's side. 

Sands ripped the headphones off and hit the stop button. He got up off the bed and grabbed his boots, pulling them on. Putting on his shoulder holster he headed for the door and left the room, taking the second keycard that was still in his pocket. He headed down the hall, his head down as if he was looking at the floor, but he was counting his footsteps to El's room. His plan was to get El so they could go pay a visit to Franky.

El answered the door cautiously. "Come on," Sands said, nodding down the hall with his head.

"Where?"

"A little walk," Sands answered.

El glanced back at Charlie, who was watching him. "What about Charlie?"

"Bring him," Sands said. El raised an eyebrow, but turned to Charlie.

"You'll have to come with us." Charlie shook his head, taking a step back. Sands had the feeling that the kid would do this. "Let's go kid,." Sands said shortly. Charlie sighed and slipped through the door in front of El. Sands shoved Charlie in the shoulder, making him go first, in case the plan backfired.

"Where are we going?" Charlie asked once they'd left the hotel.

"To see Franky,." Sands said shortly, not being able to see that Charlie had paled a shade or two. But El didn't miss it, and Sands heard El slow down a step or two, which was all he needed to know. Sands kept an unreadable mask on his face as they walked on, but he had a sickening feeling that Franky wasn't going to be alive when they got there.

When they arrived at the warehouse that Franky used as a base, Sands grabbed El's arm as Charlie walked towards the door. Sands cocked his head slightly, listening. Then, in Spanish, Sands quietly asked El how the place looked. El lanced around, frowning. If someone had been here, they'd been for a while.In fact, the warehouse looked like it was half burned to the ground. "If anyone had been here," El answered, "They're long gone. Part of the warehouse is burned." Sands swore and let go of El's arm."Charlie's by the door..." El muttered, letting Sandsknow where the boy stood.El followed, wishing now he'd brought a least one gun. "Wait here," Sands told El, taking a gun from one holster and tossing it to El. El caught the gun and raised an eyebrow, but did as Sands told him.

"Oh Franky," Sands called out as they entered the warehouse.

"He's not here," Charlie muttered.

"I'm picking up on that..." Sands replied sarcastically.

Charlie glared. "You know, I've had enough of your fucking mouth!" Charlie snapped, turning to face him.

Sands snickered, smirking. "Oh, aren't we getting brave," He replied.

"Fuck you!" Charlie yelled, the sound echoing in the abandon building, scaring some roosting birds.

"I don't swing that way!" Sands snapped back.

It was unexpected, Sands had to admit that, but Charlie's foot connected with his stomach and Sands stumbled backwards. As he faltered, Charlie reached forward and pulled Sands remaining gun from its holster. The moment Sands felt the action, he grabbed Charlie's wrist and threw his foot between Charlie's legs. Charlie tossed the gun and pivoted on a single foot, but Sands caught it and twisted, slamming him into a wall. "Who are you?!" Sands demanded. Charlie began laughing, Sands grabbed him by the neck and slammed him head first into the wall. "WHO ARE YOU?!"

He spun him around but kept a firm grip on the other man's throat. Charlie spit blood in Sands face and Sands kneed him in the groin. "Franky won't be helpin' ya." Charlie took on a southern accent. "As a matter o' fact, neither will his nephew."

"I figured that out, thank you," Sands replied bitterly.

"How did a blind fucker like you ever think you could manage to save them?" Charlie sneered.

Sands pulled his fist back and punched the man in the middle of the face.

Still Charlie kept on. "You know what the great thing was? After he was done with her, I got a turn."

"THAT was your mistake," Sands snapped, kneeing Charlie in the stomach, before throwing an upper cut. He grabbed the back of his shirt and lrammed his head into the wall again. This time Charlie dropped to the ground and rolled over, panting. His face was bleeding and he wiped his lip off slowly with the back of his hand. Sands was stooping over and picking up his fallen gun.

Without a word, he walked over to Charlie and stood before him. "You can give my regards to the Devil," Sands said, taking off his sunglasses with his free hand. Charlie gasped, backing into the wall, staring wide eyed at him. "And you can wait in Hell for Dupre." But before Sands could pull the trigger, something sharp struck him hard in the back of the head. The last conscious though Sands had was hitting the ground and feeling his gun being pried from his fingers.

He came stumbling out from the warehouse, into the hot sunlight, a hand on the back of his head, where he could fill the trickle of blood running down the back of his neck. His hand shot out, hoping to make contact with something. When it did, he wasn't sure that he liked what he found. His hand hit El's chest and he stumbled backwards. El grabbed his arm.

"Sands!"

"Where the fuck were you?!" Sands snapped, wrenching his arm from El's grasp, only to tumble forward into the man. As much as he hated to admit it, El was the only thing keeping him upright as his mind spun.

"I was making sure they didn't kill you," El answered.

"Oh really? How EXACTLY does that work?!" Sands spit blood on the ground and raised his head towards El.

"Simple, you're still alive aren't you?!" El bit back. Sands opened his mouth to say something, but the world faded away once again and he went limp in El's arms. El looked heavenward and rolled his eyes. "You are far more trouble than you're worth," he muttered to Sands' limp body before throwing him over his shoulder.


	25. Loss and Gain

Author's Note: This chapter is also unbeta'd. Looks around nervously I haven't spoken with Scarlett for a while, and I'm quiet worried. She hasn't updated _Sands Through The Hourglass _in awhile... If this continues, I may have to put together a rescue opperation, anyone with me?!

Lynx Rider: Thank you for the congrates. ;) If my fiance's anything like Sands, the marriage will be...interesting. ;)

I couldn't stand to leave you guys hanging, so here's chapter 25. I have finished this story, 36 chapters. And started it's sequal, but don't worry, one way or the other, you'll get to read it all. :)

* * *

Sammy and Cerise settled down at the table of the cafe. Sarah would be meeting up with them shortly. Cerise pushed the sunglasses up her nose. "I know he's up to something, I just hope what ever it is, he's being careful." She muttered. Sammy turned towards her.

"What do you think he's up to?"

"Probably has to do with the kid..." Quickly, Cerise told Sammy about Charlie. "Franky has a nephew?" Sammy asked. "You'll excuse me if that was my thought too..." Cerise muttered. Sammy shook his head.

Cerise sighed and stood, "I'm going to run to the rest room real quick, be right back." Sammy nodded, "alright." He watched her head back towards the bathroom, before he turned his eyes towards the street. Cerise entered the bathroom and locked the door. She'd come in here for a quiet moment to think, more then anything else. Her reflection in the mirror still looked pale to her. Her eyes still red. She looked tired, a mother who was near her end. And she was. All she wanted at this moment, was to have Lily in her arms.

The figure strided across the street towards the cafe, with a clear view of Sammy sitting at an outside table. A hand drawn into the overcoat, they held the MP-40. Sammy was stirring his coffee and didn't see the figure, until they called his name. "Iokie." Sammy looked up, but even then it was to late, the round of bullets fired, all hitting Sammy directly. His hand fell away from his beratta as he began sliding from the chair.

Cerise heard the gunfire and was already pulling the door open. She ran from the bathroom in time to see the figure in black sprinting for the street and Sammy on the ground. Torn, she pulled her desert eagle from her holster and ran over to Sammy, dropping to her knees. He looked up at her, breathing hard. "Oh god..." Cerise muttered, seeing the wounds. "Hold on Sammy, please." Her voice was broken. Sammy gave a weak smile and nodded a bit. "SAMMY!" Cerise turned to see Sarah running towards them. She dropped to the ground with them, pulling Sammy's head into her lap. "Stay with him!" Cerise ordered. Sarah looked at her. Cerise got to her feet and scanned the street, before she saw the figure slip around the corner. She jumped the small fencing that separated the cafe from the street and ran after the figure.

Turning the corner, she paused only briefly to look for the figure, who was in the crowd ahead of her. Fingers wrapped tightly around her gun in a two hand hold as she'd learned in training, she ran forward, weaving her way through. "Out the of the way," She ordered, until she got a clear shot at the figure.

But the figure spun, raising the machine gun and Cerise threw herself and a kid near her into the wall, when the person opened fire. She swallowed numbly when the bullets missed her and the kid. Letting go of the boy, she scrambled to her feet, pushing herself forward. The figure was slipping around another corner, but Cerise had seen what she wanted. The sunglasses, the outfit, the face. She was furious. The bloody bastard was really demented to go this far! She holstered her gun and ran around the corner.

But he was no where to be seen. She slowed down, looking in every direction. As she passed an alley way, a pair of arms shot out and grabbed her, dragging her into the dark area. She lashed out, kicking. Before she was pinned to the wall. "Tsk tsk, Cerise, don't kick so much." He came into view, taking the sunglasses off and Cerise lunged, attempting to claw at his face. He grabbed her wrists, and squeezed. "That's no way to behave, Cerise." He growled. "No, but putting a bullet in your brain would feel really good right now!" She snapped back.

"Aww. Cee, don't like what you see?!" He grinned at her. Cerise was only glad he hadn't mastered the grin.

"Fuck you, Rick!"

"Yes please." He replied. She kicked him in the knees.

"Go to hell and die!"

"Not me, sweetheart, Jeff." Cerise yanked out of his grasp and moved away from. "Where's my daughter, Rick?!"

"Safe. And sound. Do you really think I'd harm Lily?" He replied, checking his nails in an egotistic way. Cerise glared at him.

He was an exact copy of Sands, down to the golden brown eyes and Cerise felt the urge to claw them out again. But she held herself back, for now. "What's the point of all this Rick?! You took the pages on the Paris Operation and planted them in Sheldon's apartment, you kidnap our daughter, you shoot Sammy, you chose to look JUST like Sands?! What's the point?!" Rick winked. "Ah, that's the surprise of it all. Now listen, to me, Cerise." He suddenly took on a very serious business manor.

"If you leave Mexico now, I promise no harm will come to the rest of the team. Sarah can walk out of here scott free." Cerise spit at him.

"Sammy is probably dead as we speak and you're talking like this?!"

"It's a shame Sammy had to die, but it had to happen. He made his choice. He paid the consequences."

"You cold hearted bastard!" Cerise screamed. "Leave Mexico, Cerise. Walk away and let it finish between Sands and I!" Rick growled. "When Hell freezes over!" Cerise snapped back shoving past him. Rick let her. But she stopped at the front of the alley and glared at him. "You never fixed the broken nose." She pointed. "I wish Sheldon had done a lot more damage that night, and I know he will when he finally gets ahold of you." With that, she turned and walked away, heading back towards the cafe.

When she reached it, she saw the Mexican authorities and the ambulance. She also saw the stretcher with Sammy's body and the sheet drawn over it. She pushed through the crowd, coming up beside Sarah, who was being questions. "Please step back, ma'am." The officer told her. Cerise flashed her id. "CIA." She said simply.

"That man was a partner."

"Yes, we've gathered that much..." The officer muttered. "Someone will have to come to the station and get ahold of your superiors." The officer said. Sarah looked at Cerise. "I want to..." She whispered. Cerise nodded. "All right. You know the hotel address?" Sarah nodded. "Call me, if you need anything, I've got to go tell Sheldon..." Cerise muttered. Sarah nodded and flashed Cerise her cellphone with the guarantee that she'd call. Cerise watched her leave with officer behind the ambulance.

When they were gone, Cerise turned and walked back to the hotel, never seeing the female figure across the street watching her. Mackenzie Harly waited till Cerise was out of sight, before turning and walking in the direction the ambulance had gone. God, she'd had to pay those officers a lot to play along, but it would be worth it. Now she was off to retrieve Sammy and plot the next step in saving Sands.

When Cerise was out of the sun, everything felt so alien to her. She felt disorientated. And now, she had to be the one to tell Sands that Sammy was dead. That it was Rick who'd done it. She climbed the stairs but didn't remember reaching the top. She didn't remember heading down to her hotel room or taking the key card out. She pushed the door to the room and found that Sands was gone. She frowned and stepped back into the hall, pulling the door shut. Glancing up and down it, she headed down the hall towards El's room.

* * *

El answered, a gun in his hand. Cerise glanced at the room and saw Sands sprawled out on his stomach on the bed, a hotel towel wet and on the back of his neck. El lowered the gun and stepped back. "What happened?!" Cerise asked, looking back and forth. Sands raised his head slightly off the bed. "Charlie..." He grumbled. "What?!" Cerise walked over to the bed and Sands rolled over very slowly, breathing heavily. He was trying not to lose the contents of his stomach. He told her the whole thing. 

"Then they knew..." She muttered, and couldn't stop herself from starting to cry. Sands sit up slowly. "Baby...who knew what?" He leaned forward slightly, holding the towel with his other hand. "Sammy's dead... Rick came...I couldn't... He told me to leave Mexico..." She slipped off the bed, crying. El grimaced and went quietly into the bathroom, closing the door behind him to give them some peace.

Sands slipped off the bed next too, dropping the towl on his knees and pulling her into his arms. "It's alright...shh..." He muttered, but his own heart was twisting. "Where's Sarah?"

"She's gone with them to get ahold of the Agency... She'll probably go back to the states with the body... Oh God, Sheldon, what about Richie?!" Sands stroked her hair. "Shh...everything'll be alright." Oh yes, everything would be all right, Sands was going ot murder Rick, tear him up into little peices and leave them all over Mexico. The man was going to die slow and painful!

* * *

The hours began to take forever now. Sarah had checked into the hotel where they were and told them flat out, she wasn't going back to the states. She couldn't do it alone if she wanted to. She'd never make it back alive. That was the only way, Sands agreed to let her stay in Mexico, she threatened to shoot herself with Sammy's Beretta if they even tried to get her on that plane. So Cerise had begged him on Sarah's behalf and Sands gave in. 

Now Sarah was at the bar. And she couldn't exactly remember how many drinks she'd had. All she knew was she was really liking Tequila right now. She waved the bar tender over and he started to fill her glass again when a hand stopped him. 'That's enough for her." A deep voice said and Sarah looked up. It was the man that had been in Sands' company when she'd come back to the hotel.

El she thought was his name. She frowned and wrinkled her nose. What kind of name was El? The bartender moved off and El pulled out a chair, sitting down and pushing the dark hair out of his face. "Tequila isn't exactly the drink to drown your sorrows in." Sarah looked up at him. "Ss workin' isn't it?" She slurred. "No, it's not." El said patiently. "What would you know?"

"A lot. I've lost friends, and i've lost lovers." El said softly. "Sammy was....he was...."She couldn't find the words. "A friend and a lover." El answered for her. She nodded, looking back at him. He was quiet handsome now that she really got to look at him.

"Bloody hell! Why him?! Why Sammy!?"

"It was an unfair blow." El said nodding. "And you KNOW, that Jeff is feeling guilty for it!" Sarah snapped. "Can't they just leave Jeff alone?! Rick's done enough already, he didn't need to go and shoot Sammy!" She held her head in her hands. "Sands and... Sammy were friends?" El asked softly. Sarah ran her fingers through her hair and looked at him with a slight grin. "Sammy was probably the closest thing Jeff ever had to a best friend. Until Sammy transferred to Security, they were inseparable. If he wasn't with Cerise, he was off getting high with Sammy." Sarah stated.

"Oh god..." Sarah muttered, she looked at El. El had been patient with her as she told him the whole story. "We'll never do anything like that again..." "I wouldn't say Never." El said with a slight smile. Sarah sighed, shoving her glass away. "Can we go somewhere else, I don't want any more to drink." El stood with out a word and offered her his hand. She took it and stumbled into him. He caught her and helped her towards the door. But the moment they got out side, her stomach turned and everything came up, right on to El. "Oh, I'm so sorry..." She muttered, looking up at him, before she passed out. El sighed, hoisting her over his shoulder.

* * *

At first, he'd been surprised he got her to agree so quickly, but then he did rationalize it out when he explained it to her. Things were getting serious and he damn well wanted to refer to her as his wife before something happened. 

"Sheldon, you're not going to find a priest at this time of night." Cerise muttered. Sands squeezed her hand as they walked.

"I already know one, thank you, Cherry."

"Father Juan?"

"Well, not Father Juan in particular." Sands answered as they turned into an allyway, next to a church. "Now, there should be a door..." He held out his other hand and ran it along the wall, until he found the wood door. "Ah!" He knocked on the door, pulling her close and kissing her quickly.

"Sheldon, do you think this is a good idea?" Cerise whispered. "Cold feet?" Sands asked, running a hand through her hair.

"No, but it... Is the middle of the night."

"How late?"

"Two am." Cerise answered.

Sands grinned. "At least we wont be interrupted."

"You know, that later on, we'll have to have a proper wedding..." Cerise muttered.

"Later, and you can even have Sarah as maid of honor."

"Well at least we can make Lily flower girl..." Cerise said with a grin, but Sands felt her shoulders sag. He leaned forward and kissed her temple. "She'll be beautiful, like her mother." He whispered.

The door opened before she could reply. An old man stood on the doorstep, in a dressing gown and peering at them. "Officer Sands...what can I do for you?" He asked in a deep voice. "A wedding." Sands answered, grinning brazenly. "A wedding? At two in the morning?" "Yes, we're kind of in a hurry and want to be married before attending to business in the morning." Sands answered. The old man peered at Cerise and shook his head. "Come in." He motioned them inside and shut the door.

Then he lead them down a hall towards his office. "Are you sure this is what you want?"

"Oh yeah!" Sands grinned. The father turned the light in his office on and moved behind the desk.

"Why?"

"Well..." Sands drawled. "Other then being hoplessly, utterly and endlessly in love, we have a two year old daughter."

"Out of wedlock?!" The old man had raised an eyebrow.

"Uh...yeah." Sands grinned sheepishly.

The old man shook his head, muttering about young people and sex before marriage in Spanish. "Your full names." The priest said, sitting down and taking a certificate out of his desk. "Sheldon Jeffrey Sands." Sands answered. The priest looked at Cerise. "Cerise Evelyn Stone." She muttered.

The man wrote the names out. "This is an international Marriage certificate, meaning it'll be legal any where." He placed the certificate on the desk infront of them and held out the pen. Sands had heard the motion and took the pen, but he hesitated.

With out a word, Cerise reached over and pushed his hand down on to the paper where he had to sign and Sands scratched his name out, letting Cerise pull the pen from his hand when he was done. Quickly she signed her name.

"Over here." The priest led them over to a small alter and began chanting in Latin, as he prepared for a simple ceremony. "Kneel please." Sands and Cerise knelt infront of the alter, the priest placed a ribbon joined wreath on both their heads and continued chanting. Sands took Cerise's hand and held it. Cerise glanced at him, she'd been surprised when he made the suggestion, but here they were and there was no turning back.

Finally the priest spoke to them. "Do you, Sheldon Jeffrey Sands take Cerise Evelyn Stone as you're lawfully wedded wife, to have and hold in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, in good times and in bad, till death do you part?" Cerise glanced at him, Sands didn't raise his head.

"I do." He answered in a soft, voice. He was surprised by how broken it sounded. He couldn't fight the flutter in his stomach and the only thing he could do was tighten his hold on her hand.

"Do you, Cerise Evelyn Stone, take Sheldon Jeffrey Sands as your lawfully wedded husband to have and hold in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, in good times and in bad, till death do you part?" Cerise swallowed. "I do." She whispered.

The priest wrapped their joined hands in a white ribbon and blessed them in Latin. "I now pronounce you Husband and Wife. Those who've god have joined, let no man put asunder. You may now kiss the bride." With out even getting to their feet, Sands pulled Cerise too him and kissed her hard and passionate. The priest grinned despite himself and let them stand, taking the ribbon from their hands. "You are now legally married." The priest said. Sands grinned darkly.

The father did some short paper work and handed those papers and the certificate to Sands. "I certianly hope you don't plan on annulling it by morning." "Where's the fun in that?" Sands asked back folding the papers and tucking them in a pocket.

"Now, will you leave me alone, officer Sands, I'd like to go back to bed." But Sands heard the humor in the old man's voice and the father winked at Cerise. He followed them back to the back door and clapped Sands on the back. "Congratulations." Sands nodded and he and Cerise left.

"It's actually done..." Cerise was still in awe. Sands stopped in the deserted doorway of a shop and leaned against it, pulling Cerise to him. "Baby, did you think I was gonna back out of it?" She leaned against him. "If I was anyone else, I would have expected you to." She muttered. He clicked his tongue. "See, you were expecting me to back out." "Sheldon! You have to admit, that the idea of getting married like that," She snapped her fingers, "Is a bit odd."

"Not when I love you as much as I do." Sands whispered in her ear. Cerise snapped her mouth shut. Sands lifted her chin and kissed her slow and deep.

They got back to the hotel, still walking hand in hand. Sands couldn't stop grinning. He felt like a school boy in love. "You know, if you don't stop smiling like that, someone's going to think you're up to something." Cerise said softly as they got on to the elevator. Sands grinned more, pulling her close as he leaned up against the back wall. "Let them think something." She leaned against him, tracing his jaw with her finger tip. "So Mrs. Sands..." Sands muttered in her ear.

Cerise laughed softly. "That's going to take some getting used to, I think." She whispered. "Oh don't I know it. There weren't supposed to be any more Sands after me, you know, end of the line and all." "Well, that plan sorta backfired on ya, didn't it?" She asked, humor in her voice. "I'm not exactly complaining." He replied. She kissed him lightly.

"I want to check on Sarah." They were leaving the elevator and walking slowly, hand in hand down the hall. "Alright." Sands nodded. Cerise let go of his hand and knocked on her hotel room door. But she stepped back in the hall when El answered. "What's going on?" She asked quickly. El gave her a half smile. "Sarah's... sick at the moment, she drank far to much tequila." "Lil ikkle Sarah drank to much TEQUILA!?" Sands couldn't hold back his laughter.

"Sheldon." Cerise said in simple warning, before turning back to El. "Is she alright?" "She's passed out at the moment, do you want to stay with her?" "No." Sands answered for Cerise. "She's got other plans." El raised an eye brow. Cerise sighed. "Would it be to much trouble to ask if you could stay with her?" Cerise asked him. El shook his head. "No trouble." Cerise nodded, but Sands began pulling her down the hall before she could say anything else. Cerise had just noted that El was wearing different clothes.

"Aren't you the least bit worried about that?" Cerise asked Sands after their door closed. "Only a bit." He held up his fingers. "But Sarah's still a trained agent. Knowing her if he tried anything, she shove the gun up his ass and pull the trigger." Cerise laughed softly. Sands took her hand and kissed her knuckles. "So Mrs. Sands..." He whispered. Cerise blushed, "It's going to take a long time to get used to that."

"Ah, but I like it." Sands breathed, drawing her closer. Cerise smiled slightly, then reached up, and took his sunglasses. "If you're going to make love to me, Sheldon, take the sunglasses off." She said softly. Sands drew back slightly, mouth open to say something.

Finally he found his voice. "Cerise, I'd rather..." She put a finger on his lips. "I love you Sheldon, I don't care about the lack of eyes. I married you for you, and the fact that you're my baby girl's father." She took the sunglasses off his face and put them on the bedside table.

Sands hesitated, but Cerise wrapped her arms around his neck and drew him closer, kissing him tenderly. Slowly, Sands kissed her back deeply, holding her by the waist. His kisses moved from her lips to her neck, Cerise clung to him. "I need you tonight..." He whispered, holding her close. "You have me." She breathed.

Sands sat on the bed and pulled her to him, holding her by the waist in front of him. Cerise rested her fingers in his hair. He tilted his head upward, as if to look at her. "Why do you love me so much?" He asked softly. "I could ask you the same question." She whispered. "That's simple." He replied. "Yeah, why's that?" "You're my angel." She laughed softly, he continued to hold her by the waist. "And you've always told me, you're not a romantic type."

He leaned back on the bed, pulling her down with him and rolled over on his side, proping his head up on his elbow and resting his hand on her stomach. "I'm not." She lay on her back looking at the ceiling. He leaned over and kissed her neck. "But you're still my reason for living." She turned her head, looking at him. "Then what were you doing for three years?"

"Dying, slowly." He answered, leaning over and kissing her. He rolled over on his back and pulled her with him. She layed her head on his shoulder as he held. "Where do we go from here, Sheldon?" "What do you mean? I mean, no offense, Cerise, but you and I, were husband and wife now, I don't think separate apartments would work that well." He stroked her hair. "That's not EXACTLY what I'm asking." She replied. He sighed. "We save our daughter and we go from there." She was content for now, to lay there in his arms.

To break the silence, Sands began humming.

"_She's a sweet as Tupelo honey. _

_She's an angel of the first degree. _

_She's as sweet, she's as sweet as Tupelo honey, _

_just like honey baby, from the bee." _

He sang the words softly, running his fingers up and down her shoulder. She sighed deeply. "Damn it Shelly, you've ALWAYS know how to get me to melt." Sands chuckled softly. "Good." She yawned, Sands pulled her closer. "If it wasn't for you, Cerise, I'd be a lot worse then I am now..." He said softly, but seriously. "You'd have probably over dosed on speed, unless you'd started on something harder." She muttered into his shoulder.

Sands smiled grimly. "Probably would have. You never answered my question..." She sighed. "I love you, Sheldon, because your the one man who's cared for me, even after knowing everything that's happened to me." He could tell by her voice she was falling a sleep, so he left it at that, just laying there listening to her breathing, before he himself drifted off to a dreamless sleep.


	26. Meeting with the Devil

Authors Note: Good news! I talked to Scarlett saturday night and gave her the rest of _Blood in the Sand, _so this'll probably be the LAST unbeta'd chapter for this story I put up.

Thanks for all the wonderful, wonderful reviews. And I'm glad you all liked the fact Sands and Cerise got married. It is a shame about Sammy...Rick's just gonna have to get his come up'ins as we say. ;)

**Author's Note2: This is the beta'd verson of this chapter.**

* * *

When morning came, Sands was jostled out of his sleep by the ringing of his cell phone. Sitting up slightly, he realized that Cerise was still sleeping against him.Carefully, he moved his arm and rolled over slowly, digging his cell phone out of his jacket. Flipping it open, he hardly had time to get a word out when the other voice spoke.

"We have a lot to talk about Sands, so you meet me at ten am at La Vac Vola and we'll discuss the safety of your daughter."

"You son of a.." The caller hung up. Sands growled and threw the phone across the room.

The sound of it hitting the wall, brought Cerise out of her sleep. "Shelly?" She asked with a yawn.

"Go back to sleep, baby. I've got to go somewhere. I'll be back soon," Sands said, getting out of bed.

Cerise sat up. "Sheldon, no. Where are you going?"

"Out, Cerise. Don't concern yourself with it." He leaned over and kissed her.

Cerise glared at him, knowing full well he wasn't going to tell her no matter how much she protest. "Will you just be careful?" she muttered. "For you," he replied, grabbing his jacket and the black bag from under the table by the window.

He left Cerise sitting in the middle of the bed with her arms crossed and went straight to Sarah's room. El answered the door, as he expected.

"What now?" El questioned.

"You're coming with me," Sands answered, not even bothering to turn his head in El's direction.

"Why?"

"Because the bastard that's causing all this wants a meeting and rule one, El, never go in alone." Sands felt his own nerves twinge as he spoke . How well he knew the costs of such a move. Never go in alone. That was his mistake.

El glanced back at Sarah, who was still fast asleep on the bed, then grabbed his holster and jacket and stepped into the hall with Sands. "Do you have a plan?" El asked.

"Of course I do," Sands replied with a brazen grin. "You're just gonna have to be my seeing eye dog." He heard El growl and continued to grin .

* * *

Sands stopped El half a block from the restaurant and pulled him into the alley. "What time is it?"

"Why?"

"Because this'll only work if he's not there yet."

"It's nine am," El answered.

"Good, Dupree won't be there until about nine thirty-ish," Sands muttered. He set the bag on the ground and knelt, unzipping it. He pulled a small silver button-like object from the bag and held it up. "Attach this to your jacket or shirt or what ever the fuck you're wearing."

"What is it?" El took it, looking it over.

"It's a microphone," Sands answered, taking another small silver object out of a small zip-lock bag. This he planted in his left ear. "I have the earpiece this way you can tell me if Dupre is going to pull anything," Sands explained.

El attached the microphone to his collar and watched Sands. Sands took something that looked like a sleeve with a glove at the end and began inflating it.

"What is that?" El asked in a confused tone.

"It's my third arm, this is where it really gets fun." Sands grinned, attaching the arm to the right sleeve of his jacket. Then he grabbed the bag in his other hand. "Let's go."

They reached the restaurant and Sands found himself asking the same question he'd asked the kid weeks before. "No, there's just the wait staff," El answered.

"Right." Sands strolled past El as if nothing was up and took a seat at a table right in the middle of the floor. El frowned but followed Sands in. He sat down at a table nearby and looked around. He watched a waitress come up to Sands and heard Sands order a cup of coffee as he lit a cigarette. The same waitress came over to El and El also ordered a cup of coffee.

They didn't have to wait long. El blinked as the man came strolling into the restaurant. He was a little taller than Sands and his nose looked broken, but other than that he looked exactly like him. The man took the black sunglasses off, and a sickeningly sweet smile graced his lips. He didn't even look in El's direction, but walked up to the table where Sands was sitting and pulled out a chair.

Sands didn't lift his head from the table, as if he was studying the scared tabletop. In his good hand was a cigarette, before him a cup of coffee and under the table his right hand was reaching into his jacket for his gun. He was relying on El and he knew El knew it too. "Mornin' Jeff," the man who sat down said, as if they were old friends.

"Rick," Sands stated simply, finally raising his head and bringing the cigarette to his lips, taking a long drawl.

"So, here we are again." Rick looked around. "They've changed the decor, you should see it. Oh, oh, I'm sorry. You CAN'T." Sands kept his face neutral. "Which is a shame, cause you're never going to see what Lily looks like. She really does look like her mother. Hopefully our children will look as beautiful."

Sands bit his tongue and flexed his fingers. When the time comes, he reminded himself. He sighed as if he were bored. "Dupre, was this all you wanted say? 'Cause if it is, I've really got better things to do."

Dupre shook his head. "You don't have anything better to do. Or are you heartless when it concerns your daughter?"

Sands grinned grimly, his head tilted down. He gestured with his free hand for Dupre to bring it on. "Keep up the lip, Dupre. If I'm gonna go away, it might as well be for wiping your ass across the floor of this restaurant and putting a bullet in your head."

"You've always been talk, Sands. Just a bunch of bullshit."

"I'm wonderin' who's bullshittin' more, Dupre, 'cause you've never stood toe to toe with me."

"Yet."

"Understand me Son. I'm the slickest there is. I'm the quickest there is."

Dupre chuckled. "You might have been. You ain't anymore." Sands heard Dupre standing. "It ain't time to finish this yet, Sands, but soon enough." "So here we are, Mexico. Longway from Paris isn't it."

"Not far enough." Sands replied. Dupre was silent for a long moment, then Sands heard Dupre standing

With that, Dupre turned and walked away.

"He's left." Sands heard El's voice in the earpiece. Sands opened fire on the chair Dupre had been sitting in, sending it spiraling across the floor.

When the clip was empty, Sands stood and tore the fake arm off his shoulder as he heard El's footsteps coming towards the table. "So that's Dupre..." El muttered looking at the door. "Yes, that's Dupre,." Sands muttered, his head towards the table, as he shoved his stuff in the bag.

They left the restaurant. "With all respect," El muttered quietly, "Why didn't you just shoot him?"

Sands stopped in the middle of the street. He was lighting another cigarette. Dropping his lighter back in his pocket, he stood there nonchalantly, as if he was looking at El. El shuddered, it felt as if Sands was glaring at him. "One," Sands held up one gloved finger. "He still has my daughter. Two," Sands extended a second finger. "He set up the meeting, he could have had anyone else around, expecting I would try. Three," He held up a third finger. "I'm not playing by his rules." With that, he lowered the other two, leaving his middle finger extended until he was sure El got the point. Then he began walking again towards the hotel. El followed and heard Sands starting to sing. El raised an eyebrow and looked at Sands like he was crazy.

"I woke up in a Soho Doorway,

A policeman knew my name.

He said 'You can go sleep at home tonight,

If you can get up and walk away.'

I stumbled back to the underground

And the breeze blew back my hair.

I remember throwin' punches around

And Preachin' from my chair."

"Must you?" El questioned as he walked beside the black clad man.

"Well who are you?" Sands continued. "Tell me who are you, cause I really wanna know. Who are you? Who the fuck are you?"

El glared at him. Sands felt it and just grinned. "Relax, El. That's you're problem. You're all tense. You never take any time for yourself."

El shook his head. "I think I should be asking you that question."

"What?"

"Who the fuck are you!" El snapped, giving Sands a look.

Sands didn't answer, but the grin fell away and he grew serious. El watched him as they walked. He seemed lost in his own thoughts. It was finally, as they reached the door of the hotel that Sands answered. "I don't know." He just left El standing in the door, open-mouthed as he headed towards the elevator.

"What's it matter, El? I'm whomever I wanna be," Sands called over his shoulder as the elevator doors opened. El followed him, peering at him curiously. The more he thought he got to the answers of this man, the more Sands wove more lies. "Yer mama don't dance and daddy don't rock 'n' roll, El. So get over it,." Sands said as he stepped into the elevator. El followed him, deciding to stay silent


	27. The Truth

Author's note: I really hate leaving you all hanging for so long, so this is going to be the last unbeta'd chapter of Blood in the Sand going up.

Things are about to seriously heat up, Could be for the better, could be for the worse.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sheldon Jeffrey Sands, or anyone else from _Once Upon A Time In Mexico_. I just let him come and play, often. ;) **

**I also DO NOT own, Eric Cameron, from _Sands Through The Hourglass. _He's on special loan from Scarlett Burns, my lovely Partner in Crime.**

* * *

Sarah flopped down on Cerise and Sands bed as she waited for Cerise to get out of the shower.

"This all got fucked up." Sarah said, as she heard Cerise at the bathroom door.

"What do you mean?" Cerise called from the other side the door as she got dressed.

"It wasn't supposed to end up like this. It really wasn't. If I'd known...If Mac had known...if Sammy had..." Sarah muttered, staring out the window. Cerise stopped as she pulled her t-shirt on.

Slowly she opened the door and looked at Sarah. "Sarah, what are you talking about?" She asked slowly. Sarah sighed and stood, turning to face Cerise. She was holding Cerise's desert eagle. Cerise stood very still, she glanced once from the gun to Sarah's face. Her features were grim.

"The plan was never supposed to work like this." Sarah said simply. "The idea..." She gestured. "It doesn't matter if I tell you now or not."

Cerise stepped out of the bathroom door, taking a slow step into the room. "Tell me what, Sarah? You can't leave me hanging like this." Sarah frowned, seeming to contemplate on what she was trying to say.

She gestured with the gun. "It was all planned out so smooth. Sands would have his wishes fulfilled." "You've lost me, Sarah." Cerise said gently, as much as her aggravation and confusion was rising, she kept it in check. "I know, I know. Look, WE knew, all right, WE KNEW what he was doing."

Cerise shook her head. "Sarah, who is WE and who is HE?" She asked, a little more desperately. She took another step towards Sarah, but Sarah raised the gun, with an unwavering aim.

"We, Me, Matinieze, Doddson." Cerise blinked at the name of one of the chief director of operations. "We knew what Sands was doing with the Barillo Cartel."

"And what was he doing?" Cerise asked, fighting down a dose of rage.

"You're not privy to THAT much information." Sarah replied, a grin creeping into her lips. "You were NEVER supposed to recover any contact with him. The plan was to station you in Europe, and provide for Lily. We, Matinieze and I were to deal with Sands when the time was right."

"Deal with him HOW!" Cerise snapped.

Sarah gestured obscurely with the gun again, but didn't answer.

Now Cerise couldn't keep her anger down. "All right, let's try another approach, WHY did Rick kill Matinieze!" Cerise was moving slowly towards Sands' bag, but Sarah caught this, and the bullet lodged in the floor near Cerise's right foot.

"Don't, don't push me to do this, Cerise. I don't want to have to, but now...with Sammy...I've got no other plan!" Sarah growled dangerously. Cerise could only stare at her. Meek little Sarah was no more.

"Sarah, PLEASE tell me what this is all about!" Cerise cried.

"Make some coffee." Sarah ordered.

"What?"

"I said make some coffee!" Sarah screamed. Cerise followed the orders, moving towards the coffee pot, but her eye was still trained on Sarah and the gun.

"You know what a bang and burn is." Sarah said, watching Cerise. Cerise stopped herself from retorting. "I was supposed to be your baby sitter. I was to keep you away from Sands, because if you got close to him again, we knew trouble would follow."

"You're STILL not making any bloody sense, Sarah!"

"I'm getting there!" Sarah snapped. "Bang and burn, pure and simple, Sands was the mole. He never knew it. It was that simple. We KNEW someone in the Company was a double, but we didn't know who."

"Maxell, was the fucking double and you know it!" Cerise screamed.

"Maxell is still ALIVE!" Sarah replied.

Cerise sank into the chair, staring at Sarah. "The woman responsible for almost killing me, for almost killing my daughter, for driving Sheldon insane, is still ALIVE!"

Sarah sighed and nodded. "What Maxell did was chicken feed compared to what we knew as going on. We suspected, for years, that it had something to do with Sands, but we...we never knew how far nor WHO. We were using him as a ferret to get to the traitor. No, it wasn't supposed to work the way it did, Sands was never supposed to..."

"Loose his eyes!" Cerise finished for Sarah. "What about all of Sheldon's training!" Cerise demanded.

"No doubt about it, he's still a very valuable agent to the Company. The best damn assassin since Carmichael. We weren't going to let him loose just like he wanted. Which brings me back to my original point. Sands was wanting out. He'd been wanting out for a least a year or so. He didn't know we knew, but we did."

"So what? What did this have to do with Barillo or Dupre!" Cerise asked shaking her head.

"Sands got wind of the money Barillo was going to pay for the president's assassination. Now he did his job. He put a man inside who could counter the attack, he played controller, but he had another motive. He was going to take the money and run. Disappear." Sarah sit down across from Cerise, but she didn't lower the gun.

"We WERE at first prepared to let him, considering the personal turmoil he'd been through, then we realized if he did...to much that we'd been working for through the last ten years would be lost. Don't you see Cerise? It's a fucking war right there in the middle of the Company and the white hats still need their best player!"

Cerise stared at her. "This has been going on for ten years?" She asked.

"Much longer then that. Since at least the middle of the cold war, but it escalated ten years ago. Why do you think Sands rose in ranks so fast? Why do you think he was let in on all kinds of intelligence! Because when all was said and done, we knew EXACTLY where his loyalties lay. We knew what he'd risk for the Company."

"Back up, just a second. WHAT happened on the Day of the Dead?" Cerise demanded.

Sarah sighed. "Someone...someone let Adjerez's bona fides slip by as real. Past my approval. I knew, I THOUGHT Sands knew. Some one, it could have ONLY been Rick, kept this vital detail from Sands."

"Are you sure Rick is in this alone!"

"No, we know he's not. We just...we don't know who else is with Rick. That's why we wanted Sands to stay put. Rick was going to try and take Sands out, we were aware of this. It was just a question of when and how. You see Rick as ALWAYS seen Sands a threat. To what, we're...not sure. But we're working on that." Sarah nodded as if satisfied by her own answer.

Cerise shook her head. "What am I, to the Company?" She questioned.

Sarah grinned slightly. "You were made Sands' partner for a reason. No, we never contemplated the two of you...falling in love. But we knew, we knew deep down the two of you would be a deadly combination. You're as vital to the Agency as Sands is."

Cerise just stared at her. "What are you?"

"Me," Sarah grinned. "I was to be Sands' replacement, if in fact, he was ever killed. I'll never be as good an assassin as Sheldon Jeffrey Sands, but my loyalties lie with the good side. The white hats."

"Sarah, WHY...what..."Cerise couldn't even start to form her words.

"Hush, Cerise." Sarah put the gun on the table infront of Cerise. "This is where you make your choice." Cerise looked from the gun to Sarah again, then back. "It's either or. No in between." Sarah said softly, resting her arms ontop of the table top, her gaze steady.

"Now, don't make the mistake of thinking I can let you walk out of here with this knowledge if you chose or." Cerise started to open her mouth, but Sarah held up a hand. "I don't like the idea, but I can make Sands a widower again and walk away with a semi clear conscience." Cerise narrowed her eyes, then snatched up the gun with lighten quick reflexes. She stood, the barrel of the gun between Sarah's eyes.

"After everything you tell me, you expect me to bloody well trust you!" Cerise hissed. Sarah sat there calmly, which only pissed Cerise off more. The Sarah she'd known the night before would have been under the table hiding.

"You're going to have to, Cerise. We're still on the same side. You know I love Sands like a brother." Cerise cocked the gun. "Don't react foolishly, Cerise, you pull that trigger, you'll never make it out of Mexico alive."

"If you love Sands like a brother, why all the fucking secrecy!"

Sarah rolled her eyes. "Despite the hold we have on him, he's still a bloody wild card. And we had to PROTECT him from the details." Cerise took a step back, and closed her eyes, one hand on her temple.

"Cerise. Please, we need you, we need Sands, because if we loose the two of you, we've lost the game. Can you dig it?" Sarah asked, borrowing Sands' line. Cerise opened her eyes and glared at Sarah. "I can dig it."

"So make the choice." Sarah said, gesturing with open palms.

The minutes ticked by, the information churned in Cerise's mind. This had all been for his protection, for her protection for Lily's protection. Sarah was so much more then the friend she'd thought she'd known. And if she made the wrong choice, it cost her everything dear to her. What did that leave her with.

Finally Cerise lowered the gun, she laid it on the table. "You have me." She muttered.

Sarah stood up, "Cerise, can you forgive me for the deception?"

Cerise shook her head. "I can, but I wont forget!"

"Fair enough." Sarah said softly. She held out her hand. Cerise took it finally.

"Please, don't share this with Sands until...let me tell him."

"He'll shoot you." Sarah nodded grimly.

"Probably, but this is...I feel this is my doing." Sarah said softly, looking through the window. "It was my fault Sammy..."

"It wasn't!" Cerise hissed strongly. "And when Sheldon and I get our hands on Rick...he'll pay. Unless the Company wants him..." Cerise eyed Sarah.

Sarah shook her head. "He's to be terminated. And who better to make the executive action, then Sands." Cerise nodded and heard the footsteps in the hallway. "They're back." Sarah said, glancing at the door. "Remember, not a word."

Cerise nodded. "I know, I know!"

* * *

"Mornin' Sarah." Sands said as they entered the room. 

"Sands." Sarah replied meekly and Cerise rubbed her temple. This act was all to much.

"What happened to Jeff?" Sands mocked.

"You pissed me off before you left D.C., remember?" Sarah muttered, pouring a cup of coffee.

"Oh yeah, forgot about that." Sands shrugged.

"Where did you go, Sheldon?" Cerise asked, watching him as he dropped the bag under the table again and flopped down on the bed, hands behind his head. "To meet with Dupre." Sarah's head snapped up and she shot Cerise a look. Cerise sighed irritatedly, "Hence WHY I didn't tell you where I was going..." Sands replied in a sing song voice to her sigh. Cerise glared at him. Sands pouted in reply.

El slipped into a chair. Sarah moved over to him. "El, thank you... For last night. I probably would have..."

"Drunk yerself silly?" Sands offered from the bed. Sarah shot him a dark look.

El smiled grimly, but kept his attentions on Sarah. "It was nothing." He said softly.

Sands sit up on the bed, paying perfect attention to the two.

"That's not true." Sarah muttered. "I probably would have got myself killed. Not used to Mexico..."

Sands suddenly bound off the bed and grabbed Cerise's arm, dragging her towards the door. Sarah ignored them, El glanced their way, but looked back at Sarah. She was very pretty.

"What has gotten into you!" Cerise hissed as they left the room.

"In case you haven't noticed, Sarah's transfering her affections to El." Sands replied, leading her towards the elevator.

"You can't be serious!"

"Oh, but I am." Sands frowned. "I'm not keen on the idea, but if it keeps her from killing herself right now, all the better, cause I need the little hacker alive."

"Sheldon!" Cerise hit him in the shoulder. "She's more important then that!"

"Yes, I know...but she has to patch things between us, I ain't sayin' a word." They got in the elevator.

"So tell me what happened." Cerise said.

Sands leaned against the back wall, lighting a cigarette. "What's to tell. He wanted to mock me. Did a fucking good job of it." He growled, stashing his lighter in his pocket.

Cerise moved over to him, taking the cigarette from his fingers and drawing a drag from it before giving it back. "He'll get his. We know this. Besides, he's ALWAYS mocked you... In way or the other."

"Hockey game." Sands muttered. Cerise laughed and leaned on him, Sands wraped his arm around her waist.

_

* * *

__It was one of those nights at the 'office'. Everyone was bored out their mind, having the night shift. The parkinglot was mostly empty, and Sands had sought everyone for this especially. The whole team gathered in the blistering cold, with a few other 'players'. Sands, Sammy and Cameron had dug out some brooms, hockey sticks and other things from all the closets in the building. _

"_Okay, nine on each team." Sands said. _

" 

"_Who's team captains?" Missy asked. _

"_Sands has the red team and Rick has the blue team." Sammy said. _

"_Right. Line up." Sands ordered. _

"_I feel like I'm in middle school again." Mac muttered as they all got into a line. _

_Sands and Rick were standing side by side. "Cerise." Sands called. Cerise shook her head and went to the red side. _

"_Mac." Rick called. Mac went to the Blue side. _

"_Sammy." Sammy went to the red side. _

"_Sarah." Rick gave Sands a look. Sarah pouted but went to the blue side. _

"_Missy." She went to the red team. _

"_De." She ran over to the blue side. _

"_Jack," Jack ran to the red side. _

_They dwindled the list down, until two people stood on the side lines, Cameron and Carmichael. _

_Cerise broke from the red team and jogged over to Sands. "Pick Eric, damn it." She hissed in his ear. _

_Sands gave her a look. "I don't WANT Cam on our side." _

"_We don't want Tom either, he's already siding with Rick..." She told him, glancing back at Carmichael. _

_Poor Cameron looked lost. "Pick Eric!" Cerise hissed again. _

_Sands glared at her but gave in. "Cam, get over there." Cerise broke from Sands side and walked over to the red team with Cameron. _

"_He'll probably bench me..." Cameron muttered to her. _

_Cerise patted Cameron on the shoulder. "No worries Eric. I'll keep him in line." _

"_Didn't think you wanted to play anyway." Sammy joined them. _

"_Do you see anything ELSE to do?" Cameron asked. _

"_Exactly. And we're not breaking any rules, so just have fun." _

_When the teams were formed, they walked down to the parking garage and took their respected sides. The blue team was already taunting the red team as they gathered. _

"_Sammy, Cerise, Jack, Missy and...Cam... We'll go out first." Sands said, pulling on a pair of black leather gloves. Cerise winked at Cameron and passed him a broom. _

"_Do we even have a puck!" Rick called from the red team. Sands held up a street hockey puck. "I just so happened to have it in my car!" _

"_You mean that piece of shit you drive?" Rick called back. Sands glared, his 33 ford was one of his car pride and joys. Sammy grimaced. Even Cerise and Cameron knew to stay away from the subject of Sands' classic cars. _

"_Fuck off Dupre." _

"_You're right, let's just play the game."_

_They'd been playing for at least two hours, equal scorse on both sides. Cerise and Cameron were sitting on a wall of the garage, side by side, both tired and sore. They were about to play the final round after a break. Sands walked towards Cerise, she could see he was aggravated and annoyed at Rick. She held out her bottle of water and he took, sitting his hockey stick next to her. _

"_He's not playing fair..." Carmeron muttered. _

"_Ya think, Cam!" Sands snapped at him. _

"_So twist your own rules." Cerise muttered. _

_Sands looked at her as he took a drink. _

"_Four times, Sands, we've seen him employ physical contact. GET HIM BACK!" Cameron snapped back. _

_Sands sat the water bottle on the wall next to Cerise and pulled off his t-shirt. His sweat shirt was already on the ground next to her. Now he was bare chested. She could seen the thin sheen of sweat over his torso and back, his muscles tense. He grabbed his hockey stick and motioned for those going out with him. _

_They were face to face. The final face off. Cameron ran out with Cerise, he dropped the hockey puck between Sands' and Rick's sticks. Cerise held on to the silver whistle, she glanced at Cameron. Rick and Sands' gazes were locked. Sands let his lips curl back in a sickening sweet sneer. Rick glared back. _

"_One." Cerise counted. The sticks slapped together. _

"_Two." Again. _

"_Three." The sticks connected a third time. Cerise blew the whistle and she and Cameron threw themselves off the court. Rick threw his shoulder into Sands, knocking the puck away from his stick. Sands retaliated and pulled Rick's knee out of the way with his stick, hitting the puck towards Sammy. Sammy drove it towards the goal. But no one cared, because their eyes were on Sands and Rick. It was personal now. Mac knocked the puck back to Rick, who was driving it towards the Red side's goal. _

_Sands was fed up, he came up on Rick's right side and drove him into the wall, turning to face him. The sticks fought over the puck. Rick took an illegal approach, he drove his stick into Sands' side, knock the air out of him. Sands hit the wall and threw his stick to the ground. The game was over, this was a personal fight as far as he was concerned and Rick was willing to indulge him. He too threw his stick to the ground and pulled off his shirt. As it came off, Sands hit him in the jaw, sending Rick staggering back. Sands pulled his gloves off and threw them with his stick, before lunging. _

_The two rolled into a snow drift near the entrance. Coming to a stop, Sands was ontop and all at once, he snapped. He began hitting Rick in the face non-stop. "Stop them!" Mac screamed at Sammy. Sammy pushed his way through some of the ones gathered around. But Rick flipped Sands off him and rolled to his feet. He wipped the blood off his lip and sneered at Sands. Sands stayed in a fighter's crouch. _

"_That's it, Sands!" Rick growled, before lunging. He threw Sands into the stone wall, hitting over and over again. Sands grabbed the closet thing to him and swung, the hockey stick striking Rick in the face. Rick was distracted, so when Sands threw his punch, he didn't have a chance to block it. There was sickening sweet crunch as Rick's nose broke from the blow. _

_He was about to lounge when Carmichael grabbed his arms and pulled him back. "Lay off Rick, Jeff'll kill you!" He hissed in the other man's ear. Cameron and Sammy had grabbed Sands' arms and were pulling him back. Cerise was in front of Sands, a hand on his chest. She could feel his breath heaving under her hand and saw the fire in his eyes. He was going to kill Rick and Rick should have known it. _

_Rick shrugged off Carmichael's arms, seeming to calm all at once. "It's just a game, ain't that right, Jeff?" Sands glared. Rick began walking away. Cameron and Sammy figured it was all right now and let go of Sands. But that was wait Rick was waiting as he picked up his hockey stick. He spun and shoved past Cerise, knocking her into a stone pillar. Cerise's head hit the pillar and her world spun. _

_Sands turned in time to see Rick shove her to get to him and caught the stick as Rick swung it. Now he was really pissed. He swung the stick and drove it into the back of Rick's legs, knocking the man down on his knees. Throwing the stick away, he grabbed Rick's head by the hair and drove his face into the asphalt, as hard as he could. _

"_If you ever do that again..." Sands hissed in a dangerous voice. There was a metallic click in the silence of the garage as Sands opened a switch blade. He shoved it against Rick's neck, enough to bring a prick of blood. "One of these days," Sands hissed in Rick's ear, only loud enough for Rick to hear. "I'll kill you." Shoving away from Rick, Sands stood, pocketing the knife. He went over to the concert pillar where Cerise was sitting, holding a cold bottle of water to her head, that Sarah had handed her and knelt beside her. _

"_Alright?" _

"_Do you have any idea how much fucking trouble you're going to be in, if this gets back to the supers?" Cerise growled looking up at him. _

_Sands gestured it off. "Wont be the first time. I've 'endangered the lives of co-works' before." He said, qouting his last suspension. "I asked if you were alright." _

"_Besides the spliting headache? Fine." She muttered. "You've got blood on your chin." _

_Sands ran the back of his hand over his chin, wipping the blood that came from his split lip away. _

"_Yeah, well, Rick now has a broken nose and is missing three teeth." Cameron said, coming over from talking to Carmichael. "Tom's going to make sure what happened stayed here." Cameron muttered, staring at his feet. _

_Sands turned his head and glanced at Carmichael. _

_Tom Carmichael was nearly impossible to figure out. The eldest of the group, Sands had trained with him at the farm and Tom had ran Sands' first assassination assignment. No one could figure out where his loyalties lay in the Company. One minute, he was on your side, the next he was on your rival's. One thing Sands was sure of, was Carmichael enjoyed playing those around him to his own convenience. _

_Carmichael simply nodded. Sands nodded once and turned back to Cerise. He stood, holding out his hand. Cerise took it and he pulled her to her feet. _

_Sarah handed Sands his gloves and shirts. "I think that's enough hockey for tonight." She muttered. _

"_Let's go do something else." Sammy suggested. "Like... Making copies of our asses." _

_Cameron choked on his water. "Let's go get something to eat." Sands said simply. "I'll pay." _

"_Oh, oh before I forget." Sammy bounced over. "Jeff, buddy, bestest friend..." _

"_No." Sands answered, before Sammy had finished. _

"_You don't even know what I'm asking." _

"_Don't know, don't care. No." _

"_Jeff! I just wanna barrow the Ghost, just for TWO hours." _

"_Ain't no fucking way, she doesn't leave the garage, EXCEPT for very important events." Sands replied. _

"_But this IS a very important event... I'm taking this girl out..." _

"_Sammy, I'll let you borrow the mustang, you can take the Porsche out. But the silver ghost stays where she's at!" Sands said, with a tone that made it finally. _

"_Silver Ghost?" Cameron questioned. _

"_Yeah..." Cerise muttered. "Sands has a 1925 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost." She told him. _

_Cameron blinked and stared at her. "And he has a mustang?" _

'_65 Shelby," Cerise added. _

"_And a Porsche..." She nodded. _

_Cameron let out a low whistle. _

"_Just like his 33 Ford, Eric." Sarah muttered. "Which I wanna ride in!" She began running towards the outside parking lot as they all walked._

* * *

"Who else plays hockey like that?" Cerise muttered as they got out of the elevator. 

"Ah, but it was fun." Sands said, grinning at her.

"Yeah, until you went off and tried to kill Rick..." Cerise replied. "You're lucky Carmichael kept him from going to your superiors." Sands sighed. Tom Carmichael had died two years after that night, an assignment he and both Sands were on. Sands was the only agent to walk away alive. That was a year before Sands and Cerise had been split up.

"Tom was a good man in the end." Sands muttered.

"He trained his replacement well." Cerise whispered.

Sands shook his head. "Tom always knew I was better then him. That's why he..." Sands trailed off.

"Why he what?" Cerise asked as they walked towards the bar in the hotel.

"Nothing." Sands shook his head. "I don't want to think about that right now." He answered.

Cerise sighed. "All right, Sheldon."


	28. The Truth Part II

Author's Note: I'll eventaully put up the beta'd verson of this chapter.

Thanks to my loyal readers and Darling Scarlett for the use of Eric Cameron

* * *

They entered the bar and Sands ordered a beer.

"What happened to the tequila?" Cerise asked, getting a soda.

"To early." Sands said simply, taking a drink.

Cerise smiled slightly, looking around the bar, which was mostly empty, except for tourists. "You ever get tired of Mexico?" She asked Sands as they sit at a back table. "All the time." Sands answered.

Cerise sighed. "It was supposed to be my last operation." She muttered.

"What?"

"Mexico City. I was going to become an analyst." She told him.

"I'd die behind a desk job, Cherry, and you know it." Sands replied, giving her a look.

"I know YOU would."

"So why get completely out?" Sands asked her.

Cerise tossed him her own look. "Our daughter was just kidnapped. It makes some sense for me to get out and raise her. I don't want her involved in this shit."

"And you don't think I don't want to be there to raise her?"

"I didn't say that!"

"Not in so many words."

"What ever, Sheldon, I did NOT say that."

"Yes you did."

"I DID NOT! Stop putting words in my mouth!" She snapped. Sands' face was blank.

"I don't know why you're yelling. You said, you wanted out to raise Lily. Now what about me?"

"I am NOT yelling! And you just said you wouldn't be happy behind a desk, now you tell me, Sheldon, what would you do, if you got out?" That shut Sands up. He snapped his mouth shut and gave her a black look. They fell silent.

Cerise broke the silence. "I know you want to be there for Lily. I'm not telling you can't. I don't want it to be that way. I want you in her life. I want you in my life." She said softly.

Sands took her hand, he didn't say anything, but he brought her hand to his lips. She felt his breath on her hand as he mouthed, 'I love you.'

* * *

Sarah moved around the balcony, tossing the tracker from one hand to the other. "God, Eric's so much better at THIS then me." She muttered.

"Who's Eric?" El asked as he came out on the balcony.

Sarah grinned slightly. "A friend of Cerise's and I's. We went to the Farm with him and he would work an operation from time to time with Sands. He's a good man. But he's better at trackers then me." She held up the little black box.

"What are you going to do with that?" El asked.

Sarah pointed to the black car down the street. "Charles Dogs. He's been sitting there all morning." El looked at the car. "You mean, Charlie?" He looked at Sarah.

"Yep. I'm going to go down and have a 'word' with him." Sarah winked. El stood back from the railing.

"Sarah do you think..."

She held up a hand. "Let's get something straight, right here El. I like you, I really do. But I'm not a naive child. I'm much more dangerous then Sands knows. He's just not ALLOWED to know yet. K?"

El looked at her side long. "Alright." He muttered.

"I'll fill you in on all of it when I have the time." Sarah headed back into the room. El watched her grab her jacket and something else, but the jacket was obscuring the view of what it was.

* * *

Sarah left the restaurant and headed down the street. Charlie was leaned over in his seat lighting a cigarette when Sarah yanked the door open brutally and got in the passengers seat. Charlie yelped and was digging for his gun when the muzzle of Sarah's gun was pressed against his temple. Her other hand shut the door.

"You've severely fucked up, Charlie." She said simply.

"I...I did what Rick told me to! Honestly!" Sarah turned her head and looked at Charlie. Charlie saw that she was wearing a pair of black sunglasses.

"Really? Did Rick tell you to sat here all morning, where I COULD see you?" She asked.

Charlie swallowed. "You can't kill me, Rick would be..."

"Pissed, but he'd get over it."

"You're going to kill me!" Charlie stared at her.

"I'm considerin' it. How would you like it done, fast and clean or slow and bloody?"

"But you're...you're...SARAH! Rick told me..."

"Rick doesn't know shit." Sarah spit in Charlie's face. She lowered the sunglasses enough for him to see the fire in her eyes.

"And by the way, you wont be telling Rick any of this."

"Cause you're going to kill me..." Charlie muttered.

"Not yet." Her hand flew quickly, the syringe sank deep into Charlie's neck and she injected the fluid in the tube with a fluid moment. Charlie's eyes rolled back into his head and Sarah leaned over him, hitting the button for Charlie's seat to go back.

"Thank god for tinted windows." She muttered as she pulled the roll from her jacket. Pulling a pair of forceups from the black sleeve, she opened Charlie's mouth and pulled his tongue out, clamping the forceups down. Then she took out a number three scapulae. Grabbing ahold of the forceups that were clamped on the end of Charlie's tongue she pulled his tongue out his mouth and set to work, cutting Charlie's tongue out.

Wiping the scapulae off on Charlie's jeans she put it back in the pack, and opened her window when she saw a dog walking down the street. Flicking the forceups out the window, she let the tongue go in front of the dog, which grabbed it and ran off with it. Sarah grinned as she watched the dog run off. Lifting Charlie's seat, she left him to sleep and got out of the car, going to the back bumper. Sitting down, she lit a cigarette and took the tracker out. Turning the tracker on, she leaned forward and reached under the bumper.

"Oh, what do we have here?" The cigarette bounced on her lips as she talked to herself. Her fingers pryed the little bump off and she took it out. "Another tracker... Well ain't that spiffy." She snorted. "I'm startin' to talk like him now!" She mused outloud to herself. Pocketing the other tracker, she leaned forward again, attaching her tracker to the underside of the bumper.

Getting up, she grabbed her bag and patted the back of the chair. "There ya go Charlie, all ready." With that, she turned and walked off towards the hotel, taking the small quarter size tracker from her pocket. She hit the off button and examined it. "Regulation, how nice."

She went back to her room and dug out her laptop and cellphone. Sitting down at the table she began opening a closed line to the one person who could give her answers on the tracker. Turning on the web cam she opened a direct line. For a moment, the screen was black, then a light came on a very sleepy Eric Cameron appeared on the screen. Sarah slipped on the head set as Cam did.

"Mornin' Eric." Sarah said with a grin.

Cam yawned. "Do you have any idea what time in the morning it is?" He asked.

"Um...around 4 am. But it's eleven here, so."

"Where's here?"

"Mexico." Cam groaned.

"Sands running around killing people again?" He asked. She grinned.

"You know Sands."

"To well." Cam muttered.

"What can I do for you?"

Sarah held up the quarter sized tracker. "What can you tell me about this?"

"Got photos of it?"

"Just a sec." She pulled the mirco digital from her bag and snapped a few shots, sending them to him.

She waited for him as he opened the file. "Standard quater tracker. Regulation. Imbedded sensors. Untraceable to anyone who doesn't have the field tracker." Sarah frowned. "Where'd you find this?" Cam asked, looking up at her over the screen.

"On the back of Charles Dogs car."

Cam shook his head. "I don't know who..."

"He's working for Rick Dupre."

Cam swore. "Dupre's made his move then?"

"You got it."

"And Sands?"

"Safe and sound for the time being. But Rick's got Lily." Cam shook his head. "It's buckling down, you know." Sarah said.

Cam nodded. "This power struggle is going to be the death of us all. What does Sands know?"

"The basics. I haven't let him in on to much yet."

Cam sat there thoughtful for a moment. "Do you need back up? We heard about Sammy."

"Why Eric, I didn't know you cared." Sarah winked. "But yeah, back up would be nice. You'd best get permission from Doddson first."

Cam nodded. "I'll give you a call when I can get it all together. Stay out of trouble Sizzle."

Sarah saluted. "Over and out." Cam hung up. Sarah sit there, as she closed down the programs, erased the files of the conversation and the photos and sat back in her chair, taking another cigarette out. Sands wouldn't be happy if Cam showed up, but oh well. There was no hate between them, just annoyance, not as much as there had once been though. Which Sarah was glad of, because what Sands didn't know, is that Cam had been assigned with her and Sammy to protect Sands and Cerise. She flicked the ashes off, looking out the window as the clouds covered the sun. It would be good to have someone ELSE who knew what was really going on, here.

Cam sighed as he got up from the table, going to his closet to get his clothes. _One step closer to the truth _He thought. Rick was working for someone, someone who was working to tear the CIA from the inside, apart. They just had to find out who. He'd have no problem getting Doddson to let him go. But Sands wouldn't be happy to see him. Cam shook his head. Sands knew so little, that if ever did know the whole truth, there'd be hell to pay.

Charlie stumbled into the room, blood dribbling from his chin. Rick looked up from the computer screen. "What the hell happened to you?" Rick questioned. Charlie looked at him wided eyed and stumbled over to the desk, grabbing a pin and paper. Furiously, he scribbled out a name, shoving the paper to Rick. Rick looked at the paper, then at Charlie.

"Sarah Darcy did this?" Rick snorted. Charlie stared in disbelief, before opening his mouth to show Rick his tongue or lack of. Rick shook his head. "You probably deserved it. But that's fine. That's fine. Sarah's always had a little spit fire in her after all." Rick got up, moving from the desk to the window. Charlie just stood there, Rick didn't believe him.

"So now what?" A female voice asked, Rick turned to see Ellina Adjerez standing near by.

"We just wait. Sands will come to us."

"I think that's the worst idea, I've ever heard." She said flatly.

Rick glared at her. "I know how he thinks!" Rick snapped, tapping his temple. "He'll come to us out of anger, we'll have the advantage, playing on OUR grounds."

Adjerez shook her head. "You WANT to die, don't you?" She retorted.

Rick strolled over to her and his hand cracked across her face. "Do NOT question me, bitch! I'm in charge." He grabbed her hair. "Or have you forgotten this?" Adjerez spit in Rick's face, with got her slapped again. "We have ONE more day to wait. And when he gets here, we take him down for good. Just remember, he's mine! I don't care what you do with the others. And DON'T touch Stone." Rick hissed, letting go of Adjerez with a shove before walking out of the room as if nothing happened. He stopped at the door and turned to her, "You're welcome to join me for lunch." He said, as if he was a gracious host.

She didn't even tell them, that night, she was going out. She just left. She pulled into the parking lot of the airport and got out of the car, leaning against the car, smoking a cigarette. He came walking down the isle towards her car, she looked up, a slight grin on her lips.

"Eric." She greeted him.

"Sarah." He shook his head as he stopped.

"What?" She asked, looking at him.

"You're starting to act like him."

Sarah grinned and winked. "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer." She quoted as they got into the car.

Cam threw his bag in the back seat. "So tell me everything." He said, looking at her as she pulled out.

"Right. You know the basics. Day of the Dead, D.C. Well Rick kidnapped Lily, right out of Sands' apartment. Brought her down here, to hold her as a bargaining chip. He wants Sands for Lily's safety."

"And Sands wasn't going to let Sammy handle it..." Cam muttered.

Sarah nodded. "So he split after Doddson put him on temp suspension, for his own bloody safety. Cerise followed. I don't blame her."

Cam frowned. "So they're back together."

"Are they! They just got married last night." Cam looked at Sarah. "Yep, Father Roderigieze called me after they'd left." Cam shook his head, looking out the window.

"And you dont' think that will complicate things?"

Sarah shook her head. "Eric, they're truely in love, let them have SOME happiness."

"I just never thought...after Ceceile..." Sarah silenced him.

"He's human, Eric. He has a heart. He needs love just as much as any of us do. Frankly, Cerise is the best damn thing to happen to him." Cam smiled slightly and nodded in agreement.

"So now what?"

"Well, he met with Rick this morning, Rick mocked him. He's got El involved."

"The mariachi?"

"Yep, now that's what I call back up." Sarah grinned at Cam as she turned the corner.

"So what's the plan?"

"Oh, you know, rescue the girl, save the world, KEEP Sands alive."

"Same old, same old, then." Cam muttered.

"How are you doing?" Cam asked.

Sarah snorted. "How do you think, I'm trying to keep our secrets from being discovered..."

"I meant about Sammy."

Sarah gestured and sighed. "Sammy and I realized a long time ago, that it was over, Eric. Yes, I still cared about him, but...when your in this line of work, you have move on rather you want to, or not. Now I just need to make sure Rick suffers for what he did, what he's done."

"Rick killed Sammy!" Cam looked at her.

"Yep."

"That son of a bitch." Sarah grinned. "The kill goes to Jeff, Eric." She said seriously, looking at Cam. Cam nodded.


	29. Finding

Author's Note: I know it's been long in the coming, but here you go. In the mean time, I'm writing Chapter 12 of 'Blood in the Snow' the daring sequal to this story. ;)

Thanks to all my loyal readers, and to Scarlett, where ever she may be, for the use of Eric Camron.

* * *

Cerise walked the parameter of the balcony for the hundredth time. She was restless. She wanted this done, and done now. Even more so, since she'd learned what Sarah knew. As she walked back past the door, a hand caught her arm, pulling her back. "Stop pacing, gorgeous, you'll make me dizzy." He whispered in her ear. She relaxed against him as he held her back to him.

"I'm just..."

"Restless." Sands finished for her.

"Yeah."

"It'll be fine." He told her. "Everythings been arranged, we move tomorrow, rather Sarah's with us or not." He tightened his arms around her, resting his chin against her head.

"If he's hurt her..."

"Shh...He hasn't touched Lily. That I'm sure of." Sands whispered. Cerise fought back the tears that were threatening. "Listen, if something happens to me out there..."

Cerise turned and looked at him. "Shelly, I really don't need to hear this right now. I've already lost my daughter, I don't even need to consider losing you." Sands sighed, pulling her to him, but he didnt' futher the subject.

"All right sweets." He muttered.

Cerise sighed. "We'll get through this." She said resolutely. "We've been through worse." Sands smiled slightly, buring his face in her hair.

* * *

Sarah sat back from the computer and watched Cam pace back and forth in front of the bathroom door. He was tossing the tacker from hand to hand. Sarah grinned slightly, watching.

"You're giong to give me a headache." She finally said. Came looked up at her. "What's with all the pacing?" She asked.

"Just thinking." Cam replied.

"About?"

"Two things." Cam answered with a sigh.

Sarah got up from her chair, grabbing her coffee cup and walking over to the coffee pot. "Okay, what's one?"

"This tracker." He held up the round tracker. "I've find it hard to think, Dupre would put it on the car."

"So you're thinking what?" Sarah asked.

"I'm think, there's someone else involved. Some one who didn't turst our young friend, or some one who...is on our side."

"Or both?" Sarah replied thoughtfully.

"Or both." Cam agreed.

"Okay, so what's two?" She asked him.

Came gave her a grim smile and answered. "Sands."

Sarah sighed and put her cup downn with out taking a drink. "What about Jeff, Eric?"

Cam came over to the table. "Sarah, if Jeff ever knew HALF the things we know, do you have any idea what he'd do?"

"Yeah, he'd go on a killing spree, and we'd be at the top of the list." She was straightening up a stack of papers and didn't look at Cam.

"That's why he doesn't know." She added.

Cam's hand landed on top of her's stopping her work and making her look up at him. "Bullshit Sarah. You and I BOTH know Jeff is smarter then that!"

"Do you think he knows any of it?" She demanded.

"I think he knows SOMETHING!" Cam replied sharply, going back to pacing. "I think that's one of the reasons he wanted out."

"One of the reasons?" Sarah muttered.

"Yes, one. Cerise was the other. No offence Sarah, but I was at the funerial."

Sarah frowned. "You ever get the feeling Jeff has a death wish?"

"Do you blame him?" Cam fired back and Sarah snapped her mouth shut. "I've got some digging to do at the headquarters, I wont be with you all tomorrow." Cam said. Sarah gestured it off. "You know the drill, keep Jeff and Cerise alive."

"Something that's easier said then done." Sarah muttered.

"Yeah well, you and I both know the agency needs them alive."

Sarah sighed. "I know, I know." Cam gave a sympathetic smile.

* * *

The next morning dawned grey and cloudy, rain threatening. Sands sat on the edge of the bed, loading the clips of one of his guns. Taking the cigarette from his lips, he put the gun in one of the holsters and snubbed out the cigarette in an ash tray. He turned his head to the bed. Cerise was still asleep. He hadn't told her the plan yet. The first part was easy, if not crazy. He was going to confront Dupre at his ware house down town and shake him up a bit, remind him that Sands was still the best.

He finished with his guns and sat his holsters aside. Scooting up on the bed, he leaned over Cerise slightly, stretching out next to her. Pushing the hair out of his face, he began humming that bitter sweet tone from her past. She sighed softly in her sleep and stretched out against him. He sang the words softly, though it had been a long time since he'd done so.

_He lay there, knowing the sun was up. But he didn't care. For the first time in a long time, he was happy. He was in love. His eyes still closed, he reached out beside him, running his hand over the petit body beside him, caressing the curve from the waist to the hip. He leaned forward, his lips close to her face and began singing softly a tone from her past. He'd learned it by listening to her, when she didn't think anyone was listening. He was, he was always listening to her, with her soft musical voice, with it's British accent. _

_She shifted slightly, moving against him and Sands smiled slightly. "Shelly." She sighed. He bit back the grin and answered her. _

"_You know how much I hate that right?" Cerise Stone opened her eyes slowly and moved closer to him. He rested his forehead against hers. _

"_I'll call you what I please." She replied with a smile. _

"_Well, then that just means I get to call you want I want." Sands rplied, running a hand through her vibrant red hair. _

"_I thought you already did?" She asked. _

_He grinned and kissed her lightly. "Of course I do, Cherry." _

"_You see, I could complain about that nickname." He still hadn't opened his eyes, but he smiled. _

"_Then I'll make a deal with you." _

_She traced his jaw with her fingers. "What kind of deal?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. _

"_I'll allow you, and only you, to call me Shelly, if I can call you Cherry." _

_She laughed softly. He loved that laugh,it wassomething he'd lost and she'd have to teach him to do again. "Alright...Shelly." He grinned and opened his eyes. _

_He looked deep into her green eyes and felt a peace settle over him. It had been to long since he'd felt this way, and he didnt' want to give it up. _

"_I certainly hope this didnt' spoil your birthday." He whispered. _

_She smiled again and this time, she kissed him lightly. "Shelly, you've made my brithday all the more better..." _

_He looked at her. "But?" He asked. _

"_But I do believe we should be betting back to the safe house." She stated. They'd spent the night in a hotel room, after his revealation and they'd left the museum. They'd made love and Sands found himself swearing he'd never leave her side again. _

_She moved to get out of bed. Sands took a moment to study her. He'd never been attracted to women like Cerise before, but that had changed. Even he had to be honest with himself. When the'd first became partners, there was something that drew him to her. With in a few short months and a few operations, they'd become close. Cerise had made it past the heavily guarded walls of his and he'd made it past hers. _

_Grinning, he reached out and grabbed her, pulling her back down on top of him. "Sheldon." She gave him a look. He continued to grin, reaching up and brushing the hair from her face. She tried not to grin herself, but it was impossible when his eyes sparkled like that. For a long moment, he looked deep in ther eyes. Then finally he whispered. "I love you." She smiled warmly and leaned down, kissing him. _

* * *

Cerise shifted and opened her eyes slowly. Sands smiled warmly and pushed the hair out of her face. "Morning, sunshine." 

She wrinkled her nose, "sunshine?"

"Remember, I get to call you what ever I want."

"All right, Shelly." She snuggled against him and he wrapped him arms around her.

"You're going to stay here with Sarah for this morning. El and I have some business to conduct, then we'll be back for you." Sands told her.

"Where are you going now?"

"To Dupre's ware house. He needs to be reminded who's the best."

She shook her head and sighed. "All right, Sheldon. Just be careful."

"Always." He kissed her forehead. "Just be ready for action later."

"You have to be in this business." Cerise muttered.

Cerise headed down the hall towards Sarah's room as Sands and El left. She knocked on the door, looking around the hall, and heard voices in side. "Just a minute!" Sarah called. Cerise raised an eye brow. She heard hurried movement, before Sarah opened the door.

"Oh, Cerise, damn, call before you come down here." Sarah said.

Cerise raised an eyebrow, then frowned, pushing her way into the room. "Who's in here with you, Sarah?"

"No one." Sarah said.

"You still can't lie well." Cerise said, looking around. She went out to the balcony and looked around.

"Cerise, you're getting paranoid." Sarah said calmly from the middle of the room, watching her.

Cerise gave her a look. "After what you told me yesterday, yeah, I am." Cerise came back in and went over to the bathroom. Sarah swore.

"Cerise, try to understand, that I needed back up." Cerise rolled her eyes and threw the bathroom door open.

Cam looked up from the sink. "Morning Cerise."

"Eric Cameron!" Cerise turned and looked at Sarah. Sarah gave her a sheepish grin.

"Let me guess, he knows it all too?"

"More or less." Cam said, coming to the door way.

Cerise sighed, shaking her head. "Now he's REALLY going to shoot you." She said to Sarah.

Sarah grinned. "Yeah, but that's why I brought Cam in. If anyone can keep Jeff from doing it, it's you AND Cam."

Cerise shook her head. "If you say so." She turned to Cam. "How much do you know?"

"All of it." Cam said.

Cerise sighed. "This is getting really old, really fast." She muttered


	30. Rescue

Author's Note: Yeah, I pretty much have this story finished. So it's just adding chapters now.

It is unbeta'd right now, cause I haven't had a chance to talk to my beta reader.

Thanks to my loyal readers.

* * *

Sands and El approached the warehouse slowly. "Guards?"

"None." Sands frowned but nodded. They stepped up to the corner and stood there for a moment. There were no cars, so they crossed at a slow stride. But they didn't go up to the front door. Instead, they slipped into the alley.

"There's a balcony with a door." El whispered to Sands.

Sands was silently a moment. "Give me a boost." He told El. El frowned, walked over to the balcony. He cupped his hands as stirrup. Sands put both his hands on El's shoulders and one foot in El's hands.

El hoisted him up, but Sands fingers missed the railing and he fell on his backside on the ground.

Sands growled. "Let's try that again." El sighed and Sands stood, putting both hands on El's shoulders again. This time, Sands grabbed the railing and hung on for dear life. He pulled himself up and over the railing on to the balcony.

"Find the back door." Sands hissed to El, before turning for the door.

He ran his hand along the wall, until he found doorknob and tried it. It was unlocked. "Of course, who would lock a balcony door.." Sands muttered to himself. He leaned against the door pressing his ear against the glass and paused to listen for movement. There was none. Slowly, Sands opened the door and slipped in, closing it behind him. Pausing again, he listened. When he was sure no one was there, he pulled out the cane from his pocket and extended it.

Slowly, and painful to him, he moved around the room, feeling his way around, with the cane and his hand. It was an office, hopefully Dupre's. He felt out the desk, which was overed in papers. He opened the drawers, feeling through them and was happy to find a cell phone. Pulling it out of the drawer, he flipped it open and turned it on, pressing a speed dial button.

"What's up Rick?" A woman's voice said on the other end. One Sands recognized. He hung up then. So, Mackenize Harly was involved in this as well. He wasn't surprised. She'd been Rick's lover for as long as Sands had known the two.

Putting the cellphone back in the drawer and closing it, Sands moved towards where he figured the door was. He ran his hand along the wall and found it. Trying the knob again, he found it was locked, but the lock was on his side. He undid the locks, but before leaving the room, retracted the cane and put it back in his pocket.

He left the room with a confident walk, he had no idea which direction he was heading in however. Might as well wing it. He kept walking. But his luck was about to run out.

"There ya are boss." A voice said. Sands stopped dead, hearing the footsteps coming towards him on what sounded like stairs. "We didn't think you'd be in today." The man said.

"Change of plans." Sands answered.

"Ah..." The man peered at him curiously. "You all right, boss, ya seem a little tense."

"Migraine." Sands replied.

"Ah, yeah, that'll do it." The man said with a nod.

"Listen, you still want us to move the brat out to the compound?"

Sands looked up sharply, he took a moment to reply. "Let me see her first before I decide."

"Right, well she's down in the basement." The man turned and started down the stairs. Sands followed him. They made their way down stairs with no words. But as Sands followed him across a large room, the man broke the silence. "We finally got her to stop screaming, but we can't do thing with her. I mean, no offense boss, but was it a good idea to kidnap a three year old."

"I have my reasons." Sands sneered.

The man shook his head and took a key from his pocket. Sands waited patiently as the man unlocked the door for him. "There ya go. Let me turn on the light." The man flipped on a switch.

Sands kept his face blank, but growled. "She's been in the dark all this time?"

"Um...well...yeah."

Sands tossed the man a hard look, before heading down the stairs. The man started to follow, but Sands stopped in the middle of the stair case, his hand on the rail and tured part way.

"Stay up there." He snapped. The man blinked, but backed off.

Sands continued down the stairs. As he came off the last one, he heard a whimper from the corner. Sands moved towards it. The whimper got louder. Lily scrambled into the corner to escape. Sands felt his heart beating faster, a rush of anger filling him. He walked over to the corner slowly and crouched down.

"Shh, Lily-bug, it's alright." He said gently.

Lily stared at him, tears running down her cheeks. "I want my mummy!" She cried. "I want my daddy!"

Sands moved closer, slowly. "Lily, baby, it's alright. No one's going to hurt you sweets." Sands whispered. Lily continued to curl up in a ball, sniffling.

"I want mummy."

"I know baby, I'm going to take you to her..." Sands said soothingly.

Lily looked at him. "The bad man scares me..." She whispered.

"I won let him scare you anymore..." Sands whispered, attempting to move closer.

She backed futher into the wall. "You're the bad man." She said, barely audible.

Sands froze. He couldn't seem to find the words he wanted. What had Dupre done to her? To confuse his daughter like this, where she didn't even know her father. Sands swallowed back the hurt, frustration, and anger that came rushing forward with her words. He wanted so much for her to trust him. "Lily-bug, it's all right sugar pie. I'm not the bad man..." He uttered softly. She whimpered.

"Sweetings, remember when mommy brought you to see me, at the hospital?" Lily squeaked, "Yes..."

He moved closer. "Remember the toys you showed me? Your doll?"

"I wanna go home..." She cried. Sands reached out hesitantly and touched her hair. "Shh.." He cooed. "I'm going to take you home."

But before he could move her, gunfire erupted in the room above. "Fuck it!" He sneered, turing his head towards the stairs. Lily cried, drawing away from Sands. "Lily...bumblebee," Sands turned back at her, but he was in debate. If he took her with him up stairs, she could get hurt. If he left her here, he might never had another chance like this. He swore vulgarly and turned to Lily. "Come on, baby. We're gettin' out of here." He scooped her up. She didn't protest, but wrapped her arms around his neck.

Sands drew one of his guns as he ran up the stairs. Using the door as cover, he paused to listen. The men were all on the other side of the room, by the sounds of their voices. Gun fire was erupting from above and Sands had an idea of who it was. "Thank you El, for turning this into a fucking wet job!" Sands sneered. The men were between them and the only way Sands knew to get out. He'd have to find another way. Coming out from behind the door, he turned left and ran, praying silently, he didn't hit a dead end.

El saw Sands sprinting towards a hallway, carrying a child. He turned, running down the cat walk, the way he'd come. Men were still shooting, but they were missing their target. El hadn't planned on THIS happening and had no doubt Sands was going to be furious. He made his way down the stairs in a back hall and looked around. He was about to go right, when he saw Sands appear in the hall way to the left. "This way!" El called.

Sands sneered, his lip curling back. But he tightened his hold on Lily and ran in the direction of El's voice. They could hear men coming towards them. "You better fucking know a way out of here!" Sands hissed at El.

"I do, come on." El turned and ran down the right hall. Sands followed. The sound of the men filled the hall and Sands spun for a moment, firing off a few shots, before turning back to follow El.

* * *

El pushed the fire escape door open when they reached it and they ran out into the sun. El was about to stop, but Sands didn't. He kept sprint, his feet splashing in the puddles in the alley. El groaned, but followed. They sprinted out of the alley and across the street, continuing to run, until Sands ran into another alley a few blocks away.

El leaned against the wall near the entrance, breathing hard and watching for anyone who was following them. Sands felt around and found a stack of crates. He sat Lily down on top of them, catching his breath.

"Are you all right?" He asked her softly. "You hurt." She shook her head no, before throwing her arms back around his neck and sniffling. "Daddy!" Sands sighed, his body relaxing as he hugged her close. "It's all right sweets, you're safe." He whispered.

El turned from looking at the street, to look Sands and the little girl. He hadn't really grasped the reality that Sands indeed had a daughter, until now. Now that he could see her, he felt another ping of pity for the Officer. This was a side of Sands, El never expected to see. He hadn't even expected to see the way Sands acted with Cerise. This showed him a man who cared for his family, who loved them dearly, who was capable of love after all.

* * *

El turned back to the street at the sound of a car. They needed to get out of here soon. He turned, opening his mouth to speak to Sands, when he was punched hard in the face. There was a sickening crack and a dribble of blood began running down from his nose, over his lips. The look on Sands' face was pure murder. El staggered back, wiping the blood off with the back of his hand.

"If you ever, endanger the life of my daughter, again, I'll kill you." Sands hissed. "No, strike that, I wouldn't kill you. I'd cut off your fingers." Sands growled. "Think about it, El... You think you could live with out your fingers?"

"Sands..." El's tone had a warning to it.

But Sands stepped closer, getting right into El's face. "I don't think you could. You'd never be able to eat, perform daily tasks like wiping your ass. And you sure wouldn't be able to do what you love the most, play the guitar."

El glared. "I just saved your life." El replied, only to regert it.

Sands grabbed him by the collar and swung him around into the wall, slamming him against it. "The hell you did! You endangered my daughter's life! Going in, guns blazing like that!" Sands shouted, though his voice was starting to take on that soft dangerous tone.

"Isn't that what you do, Sands?" El sneered back.

Sands pulled him away from the wall and threw him onto the ground. He straddled El's legs, shoving a gun under El's chin. "No, that is NOT what I do." Sands replied softly, but scathingly. "ESPECIALLY when it's my daughter's life on the line!"

El glared at him. "You've got your daughter, now let me go." "No." Sands replied sharply.

"Why!" El demanded.

"Because it's not over." Sands growled, getting off of El, but he didn't holster his gun. "Rick will come after us now, and even if I did let you go, he'd come after you as well. We have to finish this, and we have to finish it NOW!" El huffed and leaned up against the wall. Sands moved back towards Lily, who was still sitting on the crates.

"So what's your plan?" El asked him. Sands sighed, holstering his gun, when he heard Lily sniffle.

"We'll go back to the hotel, grab the girls and high tail it to somewhere where I know Rick wont follow right away."

"And where's that?" El asked. Sands raised his head, as if looking at him.

"Guitar Town." With that, he picked Lily back up and started out of the alley.

"You're not taking this to my village." El growled.

"I don't have any other choice!" Sands snapped. He stopped with a sigh and gestured.

"Look, El. When this over, I swear I'll leave you the fuck alone. I just need to take my wife and my daughter somewhere safe and your village is the only place I can think of."

El peered at Sands.

"Your wife?"

Sands nodded. "We had a quickie wedding the other night." Sands left the alley, El blinked, but followed him.


	31. Fire Escapes and Hot Wiring Cars

Author's note. See last chapter for note. ;)

Thanks to Scarlett for the use of Cameron. He's just so fun!

Thanks to all my loyal readers.

Unbeta'd.

* * *

Cam had left to go to headquarters to see what he could dig up from Matinize's files. Sarah was checking her e-mail while Cerise was pacing. "Listen Sarah, I'm going to go down to the cafe and get...I don't know, a cup of coffee or something."

Sarah looked up at her. "You want company?"

Cerise sighed, shrugging. "I'll go with you." Sarah said, shutting down her lap top. She stood, grabbing her 9mm off the table and putting it in her shoulder holster, pulling her jacket on to cover it.

Cerise watched her, before she shook her head. "I still can't get used to the idea you're so dangerous." She muttered.

Sarah grinned. "Oh I know... Took me awhile to get used to playing the naive role."

They left Sarah's room and headed to the elevator. "I'm sure Jeff and El are alright."

"I don't doubt that..." Cerise muttered. Sarah wrapped an arm around Cerise's shoulders as they got into the elevator.

"Everything'll be fine, luv." Sarah said soothingly. "Before you know it, Lily'll be back in you're arms."

Cerise smiled grimly. "I know...it's just all the time in between now and then that worries me."

The elevator came to a stop and they got out, heading towards the cafe. Cerise was trying to fight back the tears that were threatening at the very thought of Lily. They were almost towards the door of the cafe when the cry pierced the air. "MUMMY!" Cerise's eyes grew wide and she spun. Sands and El were striding across the lobby confidently. And in Sands' arms was Lily. Cerise felt her knees buckle, the tears rolling down her cheeks, she didn't hold back. Half way across the lobby, Sands stopped and put Lily on the ground. Lily ran to Cerise, who dropped to the floor when her knees gave way. Lily flung her arms around Cerise's neck, hugging her. Cerise held her tight, rocking slightly, crying softly. "I miss you." Lily said, grinning. "Oh Lily bug!" Cerise hugged her again.

* * *

Sands walked over to where El said Cerise had dropped to the floor, where he could hear Lily. He crouched down beside Cerise, reaching out to touch her face. Cerise looked up at him. "I told you, I'd get her back." Sands said with a cocky grin. Cerise shifted Lily on her lap and threw her arm around his neck, pulling him to her and she kissed him passionately.

"Oh God, Sheldon... I..." Sands cupped her chin with his hand, putting his thumb on her lips, hushing her.

"Shh. It's all right. But it's not over yet, sugar. You know Rick will come gunning for us now." Cerise nodded, still holding on to Lily, still sitting on the floor of the lobby with Sands crouched next to her.

"El and I are going to take you, Lily and Sarah to El's village. Rick wont follow right away, it'll give us a chance to prepare for him." Sarah grimaced. That changed everything. She'd have to tell Sands that Cam was here and she'd have to tell Sands at least SOME of what was going on.

"Right," Sands took Cerise's hand and pulled her to her feet. "We'll grab our shit and get the hell out of here." He said. One hand on Cerise's waist, they all headed towards the elevator. They were half way to it, when someone opened fire on them from the doors of the hotel. Cerise ducked, holding Lily. Sands grabbed her arm and shoved her up the stairs as El and Sarah turned and opened fire on the gun men that had appeared. "Go!" Sarah yelled, with out looking over her shoulder. Sands pushed Cerise again.

They ran up the stairs, Cerise leading Sands. But she stopped in the hall, turning to him.

"Where are we going to go!" She demanded, holding Lily to her. Lily was crying, clinging on to Cerise. Sands stopped, catching his breath, putting a hand on Lily's back. He turned his head towards the stairs. "Is there a back door to this place?" He asked Cerise.

"I imagine..." Cerise looked around.

El and Sarah came running up the stairs at that moment. "They're Rick's." Sarah told them.

"No shit!" Sands snapped.

"We'll escape via the fire escape. Come on!" Sarah said. They ran down the hall. Sarah stopped at her door, kicking it open, breaking the lock. She ran in and grabbed her laptop and cellphone, stuffing them in a black bag as she ran back towards the door. El had already gone up the hall to his room and recovered his guitar case, so they met up with him as they ran by.

"Wait!" Cerise cried, starting to stop near her and Sands' room, but Sarah grabbed her arm. "We don't have TIME!" Sarah replied, pulling her.

"But, Sarah..." Cerise started to pull back. El and Sands were running a head of them.

"No! Let's go Cerise!" Sarah ordered. She shoved Cerise and Lily a head of her as they heard pounding footsteps coming up the hall. Sarah glanced over her shoulder as they turned a corner, but kept running.

El had led the way to the fire escape and he opened the window with a dull bang, sticking his head out. It was an old kind of escape, with a counter weight on the ladder. He climbed out and started out on it, letting the ladder lower slowly. When he started to get off, he grabbed the last rung, so he could hold it down as the others came. Sands followed, Cerise after him. Carefully, having told Lily to hang on tight with her arms around Cerise's neck, she climbed down slowly. At the end, Sands took Lily around the waist and pulled her off of Cerise, so Cerise could get down. Sarah followed. And as she got off, she turned and drew her gun, firing off two shots, cutting the rope holding the counter weight, which crashed to the ground, the ladder flinging back up, and locking in a horizontal direction.

"Now what?" El asked. "We look for a car." Sands answered. Sarah and El peaked out of the alley for any sign of their pursuers. When there was none, they made a break for the parking lot that was behind the hotel. They found a black Nissan.

"There are no keys in it..." El said, looking through the window.

"Oh ye of little faith." Sands muttered, running his hands over the side of the car, till he found the driver side window. Then he drove his elbow through the glass, shattering it. Then he stepped back.

"This is where Cherry comes in." He said to the other two.

"Take Lily." Cerise said softly, handing Lily to Sands. He held her, letting her bury her face in his shoulder. Cerise unlocked the door and yanked it open, brushing the seat off. She crouched down and felt under the steering wheel with her fingers.

"I think I can...yes..." She muttered, mostly to herself. She pried the covering off and pulled out a hand full of wires into view.

Standing for a moment, she reached into Sands' jean pockets, "Carefull what your lookin' for." He said with a grin. Cerise pulled out his butterfly knife, flicking it open. She then sat down in the seat, turning her self at an angle and laying back, so that her head was under the steering wheel, her feet on the ground infront of Sands. She began cutting a couple wires.

When she'd cut the right ones, she flipped the knife closed and laid it on her stomach, going back to work. Twisting a few of the cut wires together, she waited. Then she twisted the last two together and the engine started up. She got out of the driver's seat.

"All your's El." She said, fingering the knife.

"How did you do that?" El asked, looking for the car to her.

Cerise smiled slightly. "I learned, from my partner."

El got into the driver's seat and Sarah got into the passenger's seat. Sands and Cerise got into the back seat with Lily. The little girl curled up on Sands' lap, laying her head on his shoulder, the thumb of one hand in her mouth. "Where are we going?" Sarah asked. "To El's village." Sands answered.

El started to open his mouth to object, but in the review mirror, he saw Sands' hand slip to his gun and he put the car in gear, pulling out of the parkinglot and on to the road. Cerise sighed, looking out the window. "It's going to be a long drive, if you two keep arguing like this." Sarah said from her seat. Sands turned his head in her direction, "Aw, you know El and I, sibling rivalry." El snorted, but kept his mouth shut.


	32. Secrets and Safe Houses

Author's Note: Thanks to all my loyal reveiwers. But I should warn you. It's not over, as Sands said, Dupree will come looking for them...cocky grin

Unbeta'd

* * *

The sun had been down for a while. Cerise leaned on Sands, Lily was asleep against him. El drove slowly through the village and towards a small house. He put the car in park and looked at his home for a long moment. "Undo the red and yellow wire." Cerise said softly from her spot. El reached down and did as she said before getting out.

"Take Lily inside." Sands said softly to Cerise. Sarah was preparing to get out, when Sands grabbed her by the back of the shirt. "Sarah and I need to have a little chat." Cerise started to open her mouth, but closed it, shaking her head. She took Lily from Sands' lap and got out with El.

Sands got out and made his way around the car, getting into the driver's seat. He closed and locked all the doors in the car with the switch on the door.

"What Sands?" Sarah asked, keeping her eyes forward, watching El lead Cerise inside the house.

"What do you think, Sarah?"

"I don't know, Sands, you tell me." Sands turned his head towards her and grinned a sickening sweet mocking grin.

"Correction sugar butt, you're going to tell me."

Sarah folded her arms over her chest. "Tell you what?" She replied.

Sands leaned over, curling his finger for her to come closer. Then he whispered in her ear, soft and dangerous. "Knock the fucking game off, Darcy. I know who trained you and what you were trained for." Sarah's head whiped around and she stared at him. Sands leaned back against the driver's door, taking a cigarette from his pocket and lighting it. He gave her a smug look as he exhaled smoke.

"Which I would say, you didn't really live up to him, back there at the hotel..." Sands said to break the silence, with a gesture.

"Fuck you!" Sarah snapped.

Sands just continued to grin. "So fess up, Sarah. I know you were my replacement."

"IF you died." Sarah replied.

"So you say." Sands said boredly, flicking his ashes off in her general direction.

"No, you're right," Sarah said finally, "Actually, my orders, from HQ are to keep your ass ALIVE! And that comes straight from Doddson."

"Is that so?" Sands asked, disbelief in his voice.

"You got it Cowboy."

"And what would Doddson care if I lived or died?"

Sarah leaned over and tapped Sands on the side of the head. "You've got to much information in that brain that if you died, the CIA would lose."

He pushed her hand away. "Fuck the CIA!" Sands snapped. "What the fuck have they ever done for me!"

"Well for one, they've kept your ass ALIVE!"

"You call this fucking alive!" Sands snapped angrily, "I have no fucking eyes!" With a quick motion, he pulled off his sunglasses. Sarah gasped, despite herself.

Sands leaned forward, and grabbed her by the front of her shirt and pulled her closer. "Tell me, what the fuck you're doing here, Sarah. And no lies, I'm fed up with lies."

Sarah fought to gather herself and said slowly. "I'm here to keep you alive, like I said. Doddson gave me the orders directly. Sammy too. I'm to keep you, and Cerise alive."

"Why?"

Sarah sighed. "Think about it Jeff, for the past few years, I know you've heard the rumor, I know you've heard that there was a power struggle going on in the Company. It goes much farther then that, Jeff. It's a fucking war. And the good guys, need you and Cerise alive. That's why you rose so fast in the ranks! You were given so much intelligence because we knew where your loyalties lay."

"You fucking used me." Sands replied.

Sarah sighed. "No lies. We used you to get to the traitor, yes... Just listen to me a moment, Jeff..." But Sands was already getting out of the car.

* * *

El had led Cerise into the house by the side door and he turned on the lights. The house was small, but comfortably furnished. "I have...a room you can put her in." El said softly, nodding to Lily. He turned and led Cerise down the short hall and opened a door. Cerise followed and looked in. It was a little girl's bedroom. Nothing expensive, but still very obvious. "Thank you." Cerise said softly as El stepped away from the door.

Cerise carried Lily over to the little bed and laid her down, pulling the blanket over her. Lily rolled over, her thumb still in her mouth. Cerise smoothed back her hair and leaned down, kissing her on the forehead. "You're very lucky." El muttered in the silence. Cerise stood from the side the bed and looked at him.

She was silent a long moment, before she said quietly. "I'm sorry you lost your daughter."

El looked at the floor, trying to grasp the right words. "It has been...a long time." El said finally with a sigh.

Cerise walked over to him. She'd found a common ground with the man she'd disliked at first. Slowly, she placed a hand on his arm. El looked up, meeting her eyes in the darkness. "You never stop loving them." Cerise whispered. El nodded.

They were silent a longer more, before El asked. "How is it, you came to love Sands?"

Cerise sighed, looking back at Lily. "He showed me the other side of the man. I discovered he isn't always a cold hearted ruthless bastard."

El laughed softly a moment and looked back at the floor.

"His human, just like the rest of us El. He's capable of love."

"So I've seen." El muttered, looking back down the hall at the sound of the door slamming.

Sarah stalked down the hall, seeing El standing in the door way of one of the rooms. She stopped next to him, looking at Cerise. "I don't care if that son of a bitch gets lost in the desert or falls in a snake hole!" She snapped.

Cerise sighed. "Now what happened?"

El looked at Sarah, swallowing down his smirk at her anger. She was cute when she was pissed off. "He interrogated me!"

Sarah snapped. Cerise shook her head, unable to keep from grinning. "Sarah, luv, you KNEW that was going to happen."

"Yeah, but did he have to do it THAT way..." Sarah rolled her eyes.

"Where'd he go?" Cerise asked. Sarah shrugged. Cerise sighed again, moving past the two.

Sarah shook her head watching Cerise go. "She's his keeper." Sarah muttered.

El smiled slightly looking her over. "She seems to do a good job of it."

"It's only cause he wont get mad at her. She's his soft spot." Sarah said, rolling her eyes and looking back at El.

"And who's your keeper?" El asked her.

Sarah suddenly fond her stomach was doing flip flops as she looked El in the eye. "I...uh..." She struggled with the words as she felt El leaning forward a little more. El couldn't believe he was doing what he was doing. This was all moving to fast for him, but here he was, leaning in to kiss this woman. "I could use a new keeper." El said softly. Sarah turned her face up wards. She felt his lips brush hers.

* * *

Cerise closed the door behind her and looked around in the darkness. "Over here, Cherry." He said from the shadows near the side of the house.

She moved towards him. "How'd you know it was me?" She asked softly.

He pointed down, to her sandals. "The way you walk."

"I'm surprised you know it by now..." She muttered.

Sands smirked from behind his cigarette. "I learned it a long time ago." He said.

Cerise looked up at the cloudy night sky. She leaned up against the building next to Sands. "So now what?" Cerise asked him.

Sands shrugged. "I'm at a lose, Cerise."

Cerise shifted uncomfortably. "I shouldn't have asked, I know what now...we wait for Dupre." She muttered.

"That's the plan...so far." Sands muttered. Cerise looked over at him. He turned his face towards her and grinned slightly.


	33. Safe House, not so Safe

Authors Note: Me and my twisted little mind. Do you think I could let it end like that? evil grin Of course not!

Unbeta'd all mistakes mine.

* * *

Sands was stretched out on the couch. Sarah was on the floor near the hallway and Cerise had curled up with Lily in the little bed room. El was just about to turn out the light, when Sands moved on the couch. "Why the fuck do you have to wear those pants?" Sands asked, turning his head to face El.

"I'm a mariachi." El answered.

"So that means you have to wear those?" Sands raised an eye brow.

"In a way. It's tradition." El answered, finding himself unable to stop.

Sands sit up, taking his pack of cigarettes from his pocket and lighting one. El moved over to a chair and Sands listened to him sat down. "I could ask you why you were so much black." El said.

Sands smirked slightly. "I like black." He said between drags.

"And I like these pants." Sands nodded his head in concurrence. "Why did you come after me?" El asked after a moment of silence.

Sands raised his head. He frowned, his brows knitting. "I don't like to be asked the details of my plans." He answered.

"I'm not a pawn." El replied, yet strangely, his voice was calm.

"I never said you were." Sands replied tapping off the ashes.

"So then why did you come after me?"

Sands sighed. "Because I knew out of this entire God forsaken, back ass country, I knew you'd be the only person to give a damn about my daughter." Sands answered.

El frowned. "How do you know that?"

"Because...You were a father once." Sands answered, his head towards the floor. "Because your Sora was everything to you." Sands raised his head. He could almost picture El's wide eyes.

"How did you know that? How did you KNOW!" El demanded in a hiss.

Sands sighed, taking a drag. "Ah El, you still ask to many questions."

"How long have you been watching me?" El asked, almost glaring.

"Not me." Sands muttered. "Them. The Company. They like to keep track on those that they think...might cause them trouble."

"How long!" El asked, more roughly.

Sands sighed. "About six years. Twice as long as I've been in this place." Sands took a drag.

El raised an eyebrow. "Why were you put here in the first place?"

Sands was silent another long moment, before answering. "Because I went crazy."

"Really?" El asked in disbelief.

Sands took a breath. "After...Cerise...when I thought Cerise was dead, I snapped. The CIA put me here to keep me out of their hair...at least...that's the opinion I got. But as of late, it seems to be all a lie."

El blinked. "What do you mean?"

Sands gestured it off, he had no idea why he was talking to El like this. But he found it was nice to talk to someone who was NOT in the CIA. "It seems I've been used...to weed out a traitor...Dupre mostly."

"So why all of this?" El asked. Sands tapped more ashes off and sat back. "A few years ago, Dupre was part of my team," Sands explained. "But we've never really gotten along...if you think I'm crazy, you should have been around him. Now HE'S a nut job."

"So this is just his psychopathic idea or something more?" El asked.

"Something more..." Sands answered. El knew by the tone not to push the subject any more.

He changed it slightly. "What will you do after this?" Sands didn't answer. So El asked something else. "Why did you come after me, the first time?" Sands shrugged. "You came highly recommended. You were, after all, supposed to be the best. And, as I told you in the cafe that day, you're already dead, and Marquize is the man who killed you. So why not return the favor?" "And the coupe de grace?" El asked. "Well, it didn't go QUIET the way I planned it..." Sands replied. "I was supposed to walk away with 20 million pesos. But as you can see..." He held his hands out, palms up. "All that over money," El remarked.

"It wasn't about the fucking money, El!" Sands replied harshly. "It was about getting out!" "Killing El presidente was getting out!" El asked sarcastically. "The president is alive, ain't he!" Sands shot back. "Then I did my fucking job," He said before El could reply. "I prevented Marquize from killing the president. I placed you in his path for insurance. Sure, I could have killed Marquize if I'd wanted to, don't you ever doubt that! But I gave you a chance at revenge, you should thank me!"

El was about to say something else when Sands cocked his head to the side, his hand already reaching for his gun. El looked towards the windows, expecting to see shadows, but he saw nothing. Sands got up from the couch and moved towards the hallway. Sarah was already on her feet, loading her gun. "I'll check the back." She said, moving towards the kitchen before either Sands or El could stop her.

Sands was half way into the hall when he heard crash in the bedroom. He broke into a run and came through the doorway in time to hear Adjerez swear. She was holding Cerise by the hair, who'd sunk a boot dagger into her thigh. Two of Adjerez's men had taken Lily through the window. Adjerez threw Cerise towards Sands, almost tripping him. "Through the back!" Cerise yelled at El. El spun and ran from the room.

"You didn't think we'd find you, Sands?" Adjerez asked, pulling the knife from her thigh. She threw it at Sands, who ducked it and opened fire, but Adjerez dodged, heading towards the window. Sands lunged, but Adjerez kicked him. Cerise had followed El, which in a way Sands was glad of. Adjerez pinned Sands to the wall near the window. "You think you can win this?" She hissed. "You've already lost." With that, she pushed him to the floor, his sunglasses clattering to the wood. She was out the window before he could get to his feet.

El and Cerise skirted through the back door in time see one of the men club Sarah over the head. "Sarah!" Cerise yelled, coming to a complete stop. The man threw Sarah in the back of a car and turned, opening fire on Cerise and El. El pulled Cerise behind the corner of the house to escape the bullets and they watched as the car sped off, the man leaning out the window, still shooting at them.

When all was quiet, Cerise sank down to sat against the wall, silent tears running down her face. "I couldn't stop them..." She muttered. El stared into the darkness as the rain began. "They got Sarah I see..." Sands muttered from the doorway. "Now what!" El demanded, turning on him. Sands raised his head and gave a nasty, dangerous grin. "We get them back."

Cerise made coffee as El and Sands sat at the coffee table. El was cleaning a gun.

"We both know the Barillo Compound." Sands said. "I know Dupre, he'll have all the back doors guarded heavier then the front..."

"So what?" El asked.

"What? We walk up to the front door. Knockin' on Hell's door, El." Sands said with a smirk.

"You got a plan, right?" El asked, eyeing Sands.

"Yeah, I got a plan..." Sands replied. Cerise shook her head.

"Wont Dupre expect that?" El asked.

"No," Cerise answered. "He'll expect Sands to come through the back door, if not a window."

"A few well placed explosives and it should all work out just right." Sands said, tapping off the ashes on his cigarette as he sat back.

It wasn't till the sound of a cellphone ringing that everyone moved. "Who has a cell! I left mine in the hotel room!" Sands stated.

"You broke yours..." Cerise muttered, picking up Sarah's bag. "It's Sarah's..." Cerise said softly, looking at the number. She visibly paled.

"Who is it?" Sands asked.

"Um..." Cerise stammered. "It's Eric." She finally.

Sands' head snapped around. "CAMERON!" Cerise scratched her eye brow and looked at her feet. El didnt' say a word. Sands stood out of the chair and stormed over to Cerise, snatching the cellphone from her hand.

Cerise sighed and let him, moving back over to the table. Sands flipped the cellphone up. "What the fuck do you want Cameron!" Sands snapped with out even saying hello.

"Well, nice to speak to you too, Sands." Cam muttered on his end.

"Where's Sarah?"

"She's been picked up by Durpe, we're currently planning her recuse!"

"What! When?"

"About a hour ago..." Sands said, faking checking his watching. Then an idea occurred to him. "Wanna help?"

It was around two in the morning when Cam arrived. "So do we have a plan?" He asked as he sat down.

"Yeah, we're gonna walk up to the front door..." Cerise muttered, fingering the bar of soap from the sink in an absentminded fashion.

Cam looked at her blankly. "You're kidding right?"

"No." Cerise looked at Sands.

"We're gonna blow the doors off the hinges." Sands told Cam.

"How?"

"Well placed explosives."

"And how do you plan on doing that, Sands?" Cam asked, leaning forward.

"What the fuck do you mean, 'How I plan on doing it?' Like i've always done it, fucker!" El snatched the bar of soap from Cerise's hand and shoved it in Sands' mouth when he went to take a drag from his cigarette.

Sands nearly chocked on the bar. Cerise and Cam pushed away from the table, exchanging a look. Sands spit the bar of soap out and lunged at El with a growl. Cam grabbed Sands by the arms, pulling back as Cerise pushed El further away from Sands.

"You son of a bitch!" Sands growled, hair falling in his face as he fought against the arms that where holding him, but Cam held firm.

"That's why I put it in your mouth to begin with!" El bit back.

"I'll put something in you're mouth!" Sands snapped.

"Will you two children KNOCK it off!" Cerise snapped. "We have other IMPORTANT things to attend to, other then your two egos!" Sands breathed hard and fought to swallow down his anger. She was right. El pulled away from Cerise and stormed towards the door.


	34. The Compound

Author's Note: The Chapters are getting shorter and the end of the story is coming. Perpare for some action and darkness!

Unbeta'd

* * *

El and Cam had gone in the still dark hours of the morning, planting the explosives, here and there. When they were set, they back tracked the mile back to Cerise and Sands. They found the two had prepared. El watched as Cerise took her dose of insulin, before quickly braiding her hair. She pulled a hip holster from the back of the car and buckled it on her waist, strapping the leg straps around her thighs.

"Ready to rock and roll?" Sands asked as he came around from the other side of the car, pulling on a pair of fingerless gloves. He was wearing a black trench coat, over a pair of black jeans and a black dress shirt. Under the trench coat was a shoulder holster and there was a desert eagle on his hip.

"Be careful." Cam muttered. He was the get away driver. El grabbed his guitar case and knelt on the ground opening it. He took out a sawed off shot gun and loaded it.

"Ready." He said after a minute standing.

"Right, you know what to do." Sands said to Cerise, finger a dentater.

* * *

The two guards stood at the front door, chatting. One was in the middle of saying something about one of the spanish soap operas, when he looked up. As the sun was rising, an image merged out of the shimmer from the sun on the sand. A black clad figure, striding with a purpose towards them, black trench coat flowing with the walk. As the figure got closer, the guards could see the black sunglasses and the cigarette between the lips.

Sands didn't slow in his walk as he neared the door, hearing the two guards turn one at a time towards him. "Buenos días." Sands said, pulling the desert eagle from the holster and firing before the guards replied. He only stopped when he heard the thuds of their bodies hitting the ground. There was no doubt that more guards would hear but Sands wasn't concerned about that. He holstered the gun and reached out, grabbing both knobs of the door and turned, throwing the doors open with a loud bang. "Hey Rick! You around!" Sands yelled out. He heard the running footsteps of the guards and drew his gun again.

* * *

Cerise and El slipped through the open window into the library. Cerise looked around and indicated silence as she crept towards the door. El had secured his case in a hidden place outside and followed her. She opened the door and peaked out. There were two guards at the end of the hall and she closed the door with out sound, turning to El. "I'll take care of these two. You head the opposite, just be careful." El nodded and Cerise opened the door again.

El watched as she walked out of the hall towards the guards. She approached them and tapped on on the shoulder. When the man turned, she decked him straight in the face, knocking him flat on his ass. The other man turned and Cerise planted a kick to his stomach, grabbing his arm and ramming him into the wall. El slipped out of the door and signaled to her as she disarmed the men. She nodded and headed towards the front of the house.

* * *

Sands dodged behind a planter, reloading his clip as he listened to the remain three guards. When they stopped firing, Sands stood and strolled out from behind the planter, firing back. He grounded two of the three and nearly missed the bullets from the third. He was about to shoot when he heard someone else shooting, and the sound of a body dropping. Cerise sprinted over.

"El?" Sands asked.

"On his own." Cerise answered. Sands nodded and turned back to the building at the sound of footsteps.

"It's Charlie." Cerise whispered.

Charlie walked towards them raising the uzi. Sands shoved Cerise out of the way, opening fire before Charlie could, but Charlie dodged behind a bush. Cerise raised up off the ground to look at Sands. Sands stood rigid, listening. But someone opened fire from his left. Cerise caught a glimps of movment in the shadows. "Fuck!" She swore. She slipped behind Sands to stand at his left, drawing her own guns and firing back. Charlie came from behind his bush at that moment, firing on Sands. Sands took a bullet in the shoulder and fought to keep from staggering back as he fired back. Cerise moved one of her guns around to fire at Charlie as she kept a trained eye on the shadows. Two bullets, one from Sands' gun, the other from Cerise's met their mark and Charlie dropped to the ground.

But the figure to the left came out of the shadows. Adjerez moved towards them. "Go." Sands hissed at Cerise. She hesitated, but holstered her guns, heading towards the house. Adjerez opened fire on her, but Cerise sprinted into the shadows as Sands covered her. Adjerez forgot her, turning her attention on Sands.

"No guns." She said in a husky voice.

"Yours first." Sands replied.

"Not willing to play?" She asked.

"You wanna do this, you put yours down first!" Sands replied back in a hard tone. He heard her mock sigh and she turned side ways, laying her guns down. Sands turned to the side as she did, putting his guns on the ground.

As he came up, she hit him hard in the shoulder, knocking him back. Sands retaliated, but got only air as she ducked. They circled and Adjerez struck out. This time, Sands caught her arm jerking it back hard. She cried out and knocked his feet from under him. Sands rolled as she brought her foot down in a move to crush his wind pipe. He got to his knees only to receive a kick in the stomach that grounded him again. As he struggled for breath, Adjerez stepped back, pulling a switch blade from her pocket.

She made the mistake of paying the blade to much attention. Sands came up on his feet, with an upper cut, catching her in the chin. She staggered back but Sands didn't ease up. With a round house he caught her in the stomach and sent her spiraling back into the planter he'd hidden behind earlier. She clutched onto the knife and lunged, but again he grabbed her arm, jerking it even harder then before and heard the pop of the joint as he pulled it out of it's socket. He yanked the knife from her hand and spun it in his hand as he held on to her limp arm, before he drove it home with a fierce thrust. "Bitch..." He hissed, letting her go as she slummped to the ground staring up at him wide eyed.

* * *

Cerise ran around the corner and ran straight into El. "Well?" She asked as she caught her breath.

"Sarah's in a back room, but I don't see your daughter any where..." El told her.

Cerise swore. "Dupre probably has her with him." She muttered. "Right, we'll get Sarah and double back, meeting up with Sheldon." El nodded and led the way.


	35. Darkness

Author's Note: Thanks to all my loyal readers who have kept this story going and inspired it's sequal. There are two chapters left of this one, Then I'll start putting up it's sequal. You really didn't think I could end Sands' tale, like this, did you. ;)

Unbeta'd

* * *

Sands picked up his guns and headed straight towards the door of the house. He was pissed to say the least. As he entered the outer hallway, a body stepped out behind him, speaking in Spanish. Sands raised his hands, but didn't turn. The man pulled Sands' guns from him, dropping them on the ground and went to turn him.

The shot rang out, echoing in the hall way. Sands was frozen. He listened to the confident steps coming towards him as the man slumped over.

"That's the second time I've saved your life, Sheldon Jeffery Sands." The voice said and Sands took a step back. "Iokie!" Sammy grinned, pushing the hair out of his face as he holstered his gun.

"In the flesh."

"You're supposed to be DEAD!" Sands retorted, stepping forward and shoving Sammy back.

Sammy rolled his eyes. "No, actually, it was all part of the plan. Mac switched the bullets in Durpe's gun, to blanks. Just like the Johannesburg operation."

Sands didn't stop the grin. "You sly dog, you. So Mac's in on this is she?"

"Me, her and Sarah, we supposed to keep you alive. Although, I ran into Eric out there and he told me what happened. So here I am, saving your lousy ass yet again." Sands pushed him again.

"You got a plan Jeff?"

"Yeah, find my daughter and kill the bastard behind all this."

"Works for me."

* * *

Cerise and El took out the guards and entered the room. Sarah was tied and gaged in a chair. El kept guard while Cerise pulled the boot dagger from her boot and cut the ropes. Sarah pulled the gag out. "He's watching!" She pointed to the camera. As one Cerise and Sarah turned to camera on the wall and waved, before flipping it off.

"Where's Jeff?"

"I left him to deal with Adjerez..." Cerise said.

"Ouch.." Sarah muttered.

"Where's Lily."

"He has her, down in the cellar."

"Right, we double back and get Sheldon." Cerise said as they left the room. She handed Sarah one of her guns. As they three came around the corner, they stopped dead. A wall of soliders were standing there armed. Sarah squeaked and El pushed both of them back around the corner as the soliders opened fire.

"That's not nice!" Cerise yelled over the gun fire.

"Come on!" Sarah yelled, sprinting ahead of Cerise and El, in the opposite direction of the soliders.

"What she said!" El replied to Cerise and they followed Sarah, listening to the pounding footsteps of the guards behind them.

* * *

Sands and Sammy headed down the halls at full stride, undaunted by the few guards that were around. "If Dupre's anywhere, he's in the library." Sammy said, looking down one hall.

Sands was facing the direction they'd come and he swore. "Cherry should have joined us by now, with Sarah."

"Inless they've run into trouble..." Sammy replied. Sands shot him a look. "We've got two choices, Jeff, but we've bot to decide quick."

"We find the library." Sands replied with out hesitation.

* * *

Sarah ahd led them to an outside area. "No offense, Sarah, dear, but I think it would be a right idea to hide!" Cerise said, stopping. El looked around.

"And where do you suggest?" Sarah asked, catching her breath.

"What did we do in Amsterdam?" Cerise asked her pointedly. Sarah turned to look at the roof of the building. "After you." She said with a grin. Cerise crossed over to the covered siding and began climbing. Sarah and El followed her.

They crossed the roof briskly, doubling back until they were over the guard. Most of them had split up to look for the hem. They got down on their stomachs, peering over the edge of the roof. After a moment, Sarah and Cerise scooted back a ways to speak quietly.

"How do you wanna do this?" Sarah asked in a harsh whisper.

"It's gonna be easiest to come down ontop of them, After that, I want you and El to get the bloody hell out of here. Eric's waiting a mile up from here, El knows the way."

"I'm not leaving!" Sarah replied with a look.

Cerise returned it with one of her own. "You are if I say you are. You forget Officer Darcy, in a field operation, I am still your superior officer!" Cerise slid forward to come in beside El and told him the plan. "I want you to get her out of here afterwards." El glanced at Sarah, then back at Cerise and nodded. "Right on the count of three then." Sarah slid up.

"One, two, three!" Together, they rolled off the roof, landing on four of the guards. El came up, pushing another one. Sarah slid off the one she'd taken down and crushed the wind pipe of another. Cerise came up, face to face with the last one and tossed him a grin, before she decked him. "Now take her out of here!" Cerise snapped at El.

"And what will you be doing!" Sarah deamned to know.

"I'm going to back my husband up!" Cerise replied, reloading her gun. Sarah grabbed her arm, stopping her a moment.

"Just be careful! You and Jeff both!" Cerise nodded. "No go!" Sarah and El turned and ran in the other direction. Cerise headed back into the house.

* * *

Sands ran his hand along the wall, as he and Sammy crept down the hallway. "What do you plan on doing when we find Dupre?" Sammy asked in a harsh whisper. "Send him straight to fucking Broadway!" Sands replied as they turned a corner. Only to be met with gun fire. Sammy nearly escaped as he dodged back around the corner. Sands hit his injured shoulder and hissed in pain, holding it.

"Why wasn't I stationed in Alaska. I can take the cold, I can take the snow, I can take penguins..."

"There are no fucking penguins in Alaska, Jeff!" Sammy hissed, looking around the corner.

"That's not the fucking point!" Sands replied.

"Come out and play, Jeff!" Dupre called from around the corner.

"Go to HELL!" Sands yelled back.

"Well you wanted him, here he is..." Sammy muttered. Sands gave him a look before drawing his guns. With a growl, Sands pushed around Sammy and came around the corner shooting. He got Dupre at least once by the sound of it.

Releashing the empty clips from his guns, he slid back around the corner to reload. Sammy ventured a look.

"He's running."

"Then we follow!" Sands snapped, shoving Sammy around the corner as he finished loading. Sammy stumbled, but recovered and took running after Dupre. Sands was right behind him.

They didn't slow until they came to a flight of stairs leading down. Now Sammy drew his Bretta. Sands slipped infront of him, walking cautiously down the stairs. They were half way down the stairs when the power went off. "Fuck!" Sammy swore.

"What!" Sands demanded.

"He's turned out the power."

"And that's a problem, HOW! No offense, Iokie, but my life as of late is in the fucking dark!" Sands hissed bitterly. Sammy grabbed Sands' arm before he stumbled down a broken step, but Sands wrenched out of his grasp, roughly.

"Look Jeff," Sammy snapped. "I know, all right! I know what happened November 2nd. I know you're BLIND!" Sands tried to shut that word out, but it echoed in his head. Then Sammy's voice softened from the harsh tone. "But just don't forget, I'm still you're friend."

"I haven't forgotten...asshole." Sands retorted.

Before Sammy could reply, Sands grabbed his arm and wrenched him down as the blade barely missed their heads. Dupre kicked Sands away from Sammy, knocking the gun from his hand and swung the sword again. Sands stumbled but still managed to duck. He fumbled for the gun on the ground and rolled away from the blade as it came crashing down. He planted his feet in Dupre's chest and kicked hard, sending him stumbling into the wall, the sword clattering out of his hands. Sands struggled to his feet and groped around for his gun. "Iokie!" Sands called out, but got no answer. He heard someone running from the room down a tunnel.

Blindly, he felt around, until his fingers touched the limp body of Sammy. Sands grabbed his wrist, feeling for a pulse. When he was satisfied Sammy would live, he pryed the gun from Sammy's hand. "Sorry Amigo." Sands muttered, patting Sammy on the chest absently as he stood. He headed in the direction he'd heard Dupre running.

He slowed down as his footsteps echoed around him. A firm hold on the gun, he strained his senses, struggling to hear any movement. As he came out of the tunnel, sounnd broadened out. Sands stopped in the doorway and cocked his head to the side. There was a rustle, a moment to his left and he turned slightly, but didn't fire. Instead he just listened.

"What do you think, Jeff? Do you think we've come to the end of this?" Dupre called out.

"We should have reached the end of this a long time ago!" Sands replied in a normal tone.

"You're right, of course." Dupre's voice came from the other side of the room now. "We should have finished this a long time ago." This time, Sands ducked and slid down the wall away from the blade.

"Didn't you drop that!"

"I had another one!" Dupre hissed in reply as he swung. Sands grabbed one of Dupre's wrists, pushing the sword away. He drove the butt of his gun into Dupre's face at the same time. Dupre staggered back and Sands wrenched the word from his hands. Now he held the blade in one hand and the gun in the other. He fought down the fatigue, the exhaustion and the pain from his shoulder. This is where it ended. This is where it HAD to end.

"What did you want out of all this?" He demanded from Dupre as the other man struggled to his feet.

"Revenge! You left me to die!"

"I came back for you, you son of a bitch! And you know it!" Sands replied, tightening his grip on both weapons. "No, I think it's something more..." Sands hissed.

"And you wont find out!" Durpe sneered.

"Do I care?" Sands retorted.

"Will you have a choice after this? No I don't think so Sands. There's so much you don't know. So many secrets. Ask Sarah some time about Tom Carmichael. Ask her for the REAL details behind the operation in Paris. Ask her why Monterio REALLY tried to kill Cerise." Dupre spit. "Better yet. Ask her about Istanbul. Ask her about Michael West." Dupre watched Sands closely.

"You don't remember, do you?" Dupre stood his ground. "Would you like me to remind you. Give you little tid bits into your past? One the Company's tried to hide SO hard... How long do you really think you've been working for the CIA? How many operations? What are you really to them?"

Sands struggled to reply but there was doubt building slowly. He shoved it down and grasped his ultimate motive here.

"I'll remember to ask her." Sands muttered, raising the gun.

Dupre lunged, tackling Sands to the ground, pulling the sword from his graps and throwing it. He went for the gun next, but Sands releashed his grip, letting it drop from his hand before he drove his fist into Dupre's face. He slide his knee between Dupre's legs and flipped them, until he was on top. Unfortunately, Dupre had grabbed the detonator and pushed the button before throwing it. They both cringed at the sound of an explosion.

"Up to your old tricks, I see." Dupre spit in Sands' face.

"You know," Sands cocked his head to the side as he straddled Dupre's legs. "They all tell me you look just like me now, but I wonder, could you survive?"

"Survive what!" Dupre spit again.

Sands opened the butterfly knife with a flick of his wrist and leaned down, his face inches from Dupre's. "With out your eyes." Sands whispered. He ran the blade of the knife over Dupre's cheek, taunting and teasing with the idea of taking Dupre's eyes before he killed him or just possibly leaving him to bleed to death if he didn't die from the pain first. "What the fuckl." Sands spun the knife in his hand and started for Dupre's eyes.

He drove his fist hard into Dupre's temple, knocking him out. Then pulling his face back around, Sands felt out Dupre's eyes and went to work. His fingers trembled as he slid the knife in, his breathing was heavy and his heart pounded hard. He hadn't really done this before, and the flash backs to Guevara and Barillo wouldn't leave his mind. His breathing increased rapidly as he felt the moist, slimy spheres slipped from the sockets into his fingers. His entire being trembled as he held them for a moment, before he stumbled back off of Dupre, dropping them. He felt his stomach turn as in his mind he heard the buzz of the drill and he doubled over, vomiting where he stood.

He stood frozen against the wall, as every thing turned over in his mind. Panting, he reached up and ripped the sunglasses off. All that met him was the same darkness and he sank down the wall, shaking his head, trembling. It was to much. In his mind, he could hear Barillo, 'you've only SEEN to much...' He'd only seen to much...and how had he atoned for his sins? His sins, which were his and his alone. Atonement was not in the hand of fate for him. Neither was forgiveness, he realized bitterly. Forgiveness for the crimes he'd committed, but how far had those crimes reached? In his mind he searched for the answers to these questions but he couldn't find them. The things that Dupre had said churned in his head, bringing new questions, harder questions and no answers. He needed to know what it all meant!

He sit there, breathing hard, unable to stop the trembling, knowing that only feet away was a man who's eyes he'd just ripped out. That he, Sheldon Jeffrey Sands had taken, just as had been done to him. He couldn't decide if he was in shock or agony. Above him, another explosion rocked the foundations of the estate. He was considering just letting the flames come for him to end this overwhelming sense of misery consume him, when he heard her.

A frightened whimper came from a corner and Sands snapped his head around. "Lily!" He scrambled to his feet as he called out, tossing the knife away and wiping his hands on his jeans. Had she seen what he did! Had seen one of her father's sins? Staggering, he made his way around the room, a hand for balance and guidance. "Lily, honey, it's alright..." He muttered as calmly as he could manage. Another whimper told him he was getting close and he felt her presence in an alcove. He bent down, feeling it out, running his hands over it's edges. His hands brushed her arms and she threw them around his neck, burying her face in his chest. For a long moment, Sands just held her, despite his own trembling. "Come on baby, let's get out of here." He picked her up, struggling to make his way back the way he'd come, fighting back the trembling.


	36. Ending

Authors Note: This is it... this is the end. (well, that and short chapter after this) I wanna thank ALL my loyal readers. Scarlett Burns for keeping me writing this and setting me out for the sequel, which I'll stick up the first chapter of after this. I've really enjoyed writing this story and delving in to a different side of Sands.

* * *

He was halfway through the tunnel, when he heard the running footsteps. "Sheldon!" Cerise let out the breath she was holding. Sands managed not to stumbled and letting go of Lily with one hand, he sought her out, pulling her to him tightly. For the longest time, he just held them both.

"Shelly..."Cerise wrapped her arms around him and Lily. She wanted to ask what happened to the sunglasses but didn't say a word. "We leave, now." Sands muttered.

They made it to the stairs. "Where's Sammy?" Sands asked stopping.

"Already leaving. I met him upstairs." Cerise told him.

"And Sarah?"

"I sent her off with El earlier. If all went well, they're with Eric."

"Then let's get the fuck out of here!" Sands began climbing the stairs. They headed down the hall, but Cerise yanked him back at the corner, he could feel the flames.

"Shit!" Sands muttered.

"It's a dead end the other way..." Cerise muttered, looking over her shoulder.

"We're not trapped." Sands stated, knowing exactly what was on her mind. He grabbed her hand. With a deep breath, he pulled them towards the fire.

It felt like an eternity, weaving through the halls, that were obviously burning down around them. Lily hadn't looked up once, clinging to Sands. Sands held a firm grip on Cerise's hand. Between the two of them, they figured out how to get out of the estate.

* * *

"Can you not get us there any faster!" Sarah smacked Cam in the shoulder. Cam clenched his jaw and shifted gears. El on the other hand was holding on to his seat, giving Sarah a look. Sarah ignored it, sitting back and loading her guns. She wanted to get to Sands and Cerise before it was to late.

* * *

The hall were a maze of blazing walls of fire. "How many explosives did you give El and Eric!" Cerise cried over the crackling of the flames. Sands was still carrying Lily and holding on to Cerise's hand tightly.

"Enough to blow the doors off the hinges." Sands replied with a trace grin as they wove their was through the flaming labyrinth. Cerise coughed from the smoke, covering her mouth with her free hand. Sands felt the wetness around his eye sockets and wasn't sure rather it was blood or tears. He had to rely on Cerise to keep him from stumbling into burning walls, but she was just as blind in the blaze as he was.

They continued along at a painful pace, making their way towards the front of the manor. Turning a corner, they stopped dead. A remaining guard was staggering towards them and he raised his gun with out hesitation. If he had to go down, so would these intruders. Sands let go of Cerise's hand, hearing the staggering steps of the man and he pulled Cerise's pistol from her holster, turning a half step and firing at the same time, the bullet striking the man between the eyes. Cerise saw the open window and grabbed Sands' hand as he dropped the gun, yanking him towards it. Sands felt the glass with his free hand and knew this was going to hurt.

Holding Lily closer, a hand on her head, to keep it pressed against his shirt, so her face was away from the glass, Sands took a deep breath and threw himself through the window, hitting the ground and rolled. He heard the muffled thump beside him, and knew Cerise had followed. He lay there a long moment catching his breath, feeling pain through out his entire body, but his fingers began running over Lily, checking for wounds. "Daddy..." Her whimper was muffled, her face still in his shoulder and Sands smiled bleary.

"No time to relax, darling." Cerise muttered beside him as she raised herself up on her elbows, laying on her stomach. Sands turned his head towards her, and it was clear he was exhausted, but he gave her a smile none the less.

"Let's get the fuck out of here and go home." He muttered tiredly.

"Right." They got up off the ground and started making their way towards the gate, the heat of the fire behind them.

"Hey cowboy," Cerise stopped. Sands stopped as well, turning towards her. Cerise reached into the pocket of her shorts. She'd had a feeling these would come in hand.

"What?" Sands asked. Cerise unfolded the black raybans and leaned forward, slipping them on to Sands' face. Sands grinned a little more. "Let's go gorgeous."

* * *

They saw the smoke before they saw the estate it's self. The entire place was on fire. "Oh my god..." Sarah breathed as Cam stopped the SUV. Sarah scrambled to get out it. El followed her. "What if they..." Sarah started, but choked on her tears. El came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her, holding her as she cried silently. Cam got out from behind the wheel and the three of them stood there, watching the building burning under the high rising sun.

"I can't believe..."Cam couldn't bring himself to say. Sarah turned herself into El's arms with a cry, sobbing harder. Cam looked down at the ground, kicking a rock.

"Don't be so fast to assume." A voice said. Sarah spun. Sammy was coming towards them, looking a little worse for wear.

"SAMMY!" Sarah felt her knees buckle. "Sorry to make you think I was gone sugar, but it was the only way." Sammy said softly, coming over to the car.

"Eric."

"Sammy" The two men shook hands before turning back to the blaze.

"Did you see them?" Cam asked.

"Get out? No..." They fell silent again, standing there as the Barillo estate burned in it's own hell.

"Now what?" Sarah asked, wipping her tears off her cheeks, she was still in El's arms and had no intention of leaving them.

Sammy sighed. "We go back to the Company tell them their best agents...died in the line of fire." He muttered. This made Sarah started cry harder and El comfortered her, holding her close and tight. Then he led her back towards the car. Cam turned and got into the driver's seat.

Sammy started to turn from the blaze to get into the car, when his eyes widened and he began laughing hysterically.

Sarah turned in El's arms to glare at him. "Iokie, you god damn heartless..." She stopped mid speech. Now they were all staring.

Coming across the desert, one in a black trench coat and sunglasses, complete with the black fingerless gloves, carrying a three year old girl. The other a petit doll in a tight t-shirt and shorts, the holster gleaming on the hip in the sun, came two figures.

"Son of a bitch!" Sammy cried, laughing.

"If anyone could survive that fire, Sands could!" Cam cried jumping back out of the car. They all watched in amazement as Sands and Cerise came closer, Sands carrying Lily and holding Cerise's hand.

"Sands, my god! Are...is...how?" Sarah couldn't get her words together from the shock. Sands and Cerise stopped infront of the group. Lily peered at them curiously.

"Well, it damn well took you fuckers long enough to get here." Sands replied, grinning brazenly.


	37. Back at Langly

Authors Note: Again, thank you to all my loyal readers. And Scarlett Burns. This is the set up chapter for the sequel. Enjoy

* * *

"Thank you for being here today, Officer Sands." The older man said settling into his chair behind the table. Sands tapped the ashes off his cigarette, but neither of the men who'd entered said a word about his smoking in the debrief room(which was against the rules).

"Well, I really didn't have much a choice, now did I?" Sands replied, leaning back in his chair.

"Now now, Officer Sands. There's no need for hard feelings." The man said. "Who has hard feelings? I just get framed for Dupre's shit and have to rescue my daughter all in the space of a week. I wouldn't necessarily call it HARD feelings." Sands responded.

The older man chuckled softly and looked at the man at his side. "That'll be all Foley, I wont need you from here."

Tim Foley looked at Steven Doddson. "Are you sure, sir?"

Doddson smiled grimly. "Possitive. This isn't the first chat I've had with Officer Sands." Doddson motioned for the door, but even behind the amused tone, Foley could hear the stern tone and could see the direct order in the man's grey eyes.

With out a word, he got up and left the room, pulling the door shut behind him. Doddson leaned forward and shut off the play button on the tape recorder. Sands raised an eye brow as he heard this. "Jeff, this is all off record." Doddson said, leaning on the table, his arms folded it on his scared top.

"Well, that should make things interesting." Sands retorted.

Doddson chuckled again. "There's no need to interrogate you on the Culican operation. I have the details from Officer Darcy. And there's no need to reprimand you for your actions concerning Dupre. I would have done the same if had been my daughter. But I brought you here this morning because you deserved an explanation of all of this."

"Your damn fucking right I deserved an explanation! I deserve a lot more, but who am I to make demands!" Sands snapped bitterly. "Let's get something straight, Doddson, I don't like you. I don't like what you've done, to me, or to my wife."

Doddson smiled grimly, even though Sands could not see this. "Your wife," He repeated. "Officer Cerise Stone, or should I say Sands now... She's a good woman, a good agent."

"She's the best woman," Sands replied. "But we didn't come here to talk about her." Sands leaned forward, tapping his ashes off again. "So let's get down to business, boss." There was a sarcastic tone to the last word.

Doddson sighed. "Let me began by saying I am, very truly sorry for what happened in Culican..."

Sands held up the hand holding the cigarette. "I don't wanna hear it, and I don't need your false pity."

Doddson shook his head. "Jeff, it's not false." He sighed. "Your history with me goes back to your days in the Farm, where we both know I was one of your professors."

"Yeah you were always trying to flunk me." Sands grumbled, but there was a trace of a grin.

"You were a young man there, an insolent and arrogant young man, you still are," Doddson said with a nod. "But even then I could see your potential. And I'll let you in on a secret. Even then, I liked you. I knew you had the right stuff to be the best. No, not ONE of the best, but the best. And you've become the best. You've broken every rule in the book to do so, but you're the best." Doddson stood, taking Sands' pack of cigarettes off the table and taking on out, lighting it.

Sands on the other hand, was frozen in his seat, unsure how to reply to this revelation. Here, one of the three directors of operations, a man with vast amounts of power was confessing that Sands was the best. Something he'd striven for years to achieve, to hears these words from a superior and now that he was hearing them, he was floored.

Doddson took a long drag of his cigarette, looking at Sands through the grey smoke. "You're shocked to hear me admit that, aren't you, Jeff?"

Sands regained his composer quickly, kept his face neutral and leaned back in his chair, propping his feet up on the table. "Not really," He lied. "I just wanted to hear you say it." He said, grinning sarcastically. Doddson chuckled, moving around the room. Sands cocked his head to the side, listening to the man's movements.

"All right Sands, here it is, all cards on the table. I want, I NEED you on my side. I don't know if Darcy has explained this to you or not, but there's a war brewing in the very midst of this organization. Much more then a simple power struggle. Someone is looking to bring the CIA to it's knees. To destroy EVERYTHING we have worked for since this federation started. And there are a few of us, who are fighting to keep what we know, what we've worked for, from being destroyed." Doddson came back over to the table and sat down. Suddenly, he was a very tired man. He rubbed his temple with his free hand and tapped his ashes off his cigarette with his other.

"You were trained to be a killer, by Tom Carmichael and a few others. You were trained to do your job as no other agent could. And you've lived up to and beyond those expectations. Now the white hats, the good guys, the few of us who are fighting to keep the CIA intact, need you on our side." Sands didn't reply for a long moment, when he finally did, he took his boots off the table and leaned forward.

"What the fuck has the company ever done for me, and if you say kept me alive, I'm walking straight out that fucking door and never looking back." He said with fire.

Doddson nodded. "And I wouldn't stop you. But others will. In that head of yours is the secrets to so many dangerous and consequential information. Most, I know you don't realize at the moment. Most of this was locked away, hidden by a way of mind erase. Not my choice. I didn't want that."

"You think I bloody well did?" Sands snapped. He wasn't going to hid his temper and he didn't give a fuck what Doddson thought if he didn't.

"No, you didn't. But they did it anyway. And I can't give you the keys to this knowledge. You'll have to uncover it on your own."

"Oh, that's just fucking lovely." Sands growled, getting up from the table and moving around the room.

Doddson watched him now. "What I can give you, Jeff, is my promise, my solemn swear, that as long as you work for me, for those who are trying to save this Company, this country, this WORLD, that you will never have to worry about safety, the safety of your wife and the safety of your daughter when it comes down to it."

"No! Oh really! Then what do you call what Dupre did!" Sands fired back.

Doddson sighed. "We knew, that Dupre was a traitor. But when it came down to it, we knew only one man could stop him. And that was the very man he tried to frame, you." Sands leaned against the wall, drawing on his cigarette. "I never said it would be easy. Agents from the other side will try to stop us. They will try to destroy you, your family, and everything you've worked for. But damn it man! You are THE best assassin we have! You are far greater then Tom Carmichael. Far greater then Alan Gray, Harvey Falcon, then Kain, Mcloud, Garden, all of them!" Sands heard the names of the assassins that came before him and swallowed.

"Why me?" He asked finally, coming back over to the table.

"Because you wanted it most. Because you strove to be the best for all these years. Because when all is said and done, your loyalties still lie where it counts."

"And if I walk out that door?" Sands asked, gesturing to the door behind him.

Doddson sighed. "Then they will follow. They won't let you be in peace. To them, you are a dangerous weapon with the knowledge you have in your head."

"And to you?" Sands demanded, his hands on the table in front of Doddson and he leaned forward, his face inches from Doddson. "What am I to you! A tool? A weapon!"

Doddson remained cool. "You are the most valuable man I have, in or out of the field."

Sands ripped his sunglasses from his face, giving Doddson a clear view of the empty black eye sockets. Doddson still remained calm.

"And when it's cost me my goddamned sight! Where were you then! Where was my protection!" Doddson didn't answer for a moment. Sands' had shot out, grasping Doddson around the throat and he wrenched the man from the chair, shoving him hard into the wall. "Well! Where were you then!" He spit, holding the man against the wall.

"I was struggling to prevent worse from happening." Doddson managed to get out.

Sands let him go, letting the man drop to the floor. "This," He gestured. "Is the price I've paid for all your fucking secrecy!"

"Because there was a mole in the Mexico operation!" Doddson replied. "Do not for get, Sands, that your own wife was put in danger."

"That," Sands pointed a finger, "Has not slipped my mind, and leave Cerise out of this, fucker."

"To late for that." Doddson replied. "She's as important to this as you are. Damn it, Sands! Can't you understand! If I could turn back the clock and prevent what happened from happening I would! I fucking would! But I can't and neither can you! But what you can do, is continue to help me fight!" Doddson exclaimed. "If not for me, if not for the Company, then do it for your daughter, because if you don't, then there will be many more kidnappers at your door, wanting to use that little girl as bait to bring you down!"

Sands ran both his hands through his hair as he paced. Doddson was right. The two choices he was left with, only made it harder. On the one hand, he could continue to work for Doddson and put his life on the line over and over again. On the other, he could walk out that door, walk out of the CIA and TRY and disappear, but Doddson was right, TRY was all he could do because the other side would find him, over and over again, no matter where he went and that put Cerise and Lily in danger far more then it would if he continued to work for the CIA. And still, there were all the answers he needed, to the questions that Dupre had brought him. And he was determined to find out what those answers were, even if it killed him.

Finally he stopped moving around the room and turned to Doddson, having calmed down. "What do you want me to do?" He asked him.

Doddson sighed in relief. "I want you to take a few weeks off, be with your family. Do not worry about safety, you'll be protected by some of my best. But in a few weeks time, I'll come to you. I'll probably have you go back to Mexico for a short time and clear out that mess. I want you to put a team together, your choices, who you can trust, those who are loyal to YOU, not the company. From there, we'll all work to uncover the other moles and double agents. We'll weed them out one at a time. You'll be my front man. Is that agreeable?"

Sands stood there for a long moment. "And Cerise?"

"All that I, that we ask for Cerise is that she OCCASIONALLY assist you in your work. We wont ask her to do any operations on her own. She'll stay by your side."

"And my daughter?"

Doddson cocked his head to the side, raising an eyebrow. "I'm sure between you and the others, she'll be well protected." Doddson answered.

"And my past transgressions?" Sadns questioned. Doddson chuckled again.

"They stay between you and me, and the agents they involved. How's that?"

Sands remained silent for a long moment, then replied. "We have an accord."

* * *

Cerise looked up from playing with Lily on the bench out side the debriefing room. Sands came out of the room, smoking a fresh cigarette and a rather satisfied look on his face. He came over to them, following the sound of Lily's laughter.

"Well?" Cerise asked, standing, holding Lily in her arms.

"I'm still employed by the CIA." Sands answered with a shrug. Then he leaned forward, whispering low enough for her to hear as he heard some one go by. "More importantly, I'm employed by Doddson."

Cerise took this in, then asked. "And the operation in Culican and Dupre?"

Sands shrugged. "It's all filed away, nothing more. Let's go home. I've got two weeks off." He gave her a sly grin. Cerise laughed softly. Lily wrapped her arms around Sands' neck and Sands took her from Cerise, wrapping one arm around Cerise's waist and they headed for the door.

"Of course you know this means we'll never have a normal marriage..." Sands said as they got into the elevator.

"Do you think I'm ashamed to be married to a spy?" Cerise asked looking at him.

"I didn't think so."

Cerise laughed softly again and leaned over, kissing him lightly. "I love you Sheldon Jeffrey Sands."

"I love you too, Cerise." He replied as the doors closed. "At least I still get to annoy the hell out of Iokie and Darcy."

Now Cerise really laughed. "Later, let's go home Cowboy."


End file.
